Jason's Travels
by StealthStar
Summary: In this modern-day retelling of Gulliver's Travels, a Chicago teen named Jason finds himself in an entirely new world; one with giants. With no idea what to do, and no way back, he can only do his best in this over-sized world. It seems history is about to repeat itself, with Jason in the middle of it all.
1. Chapter 1

My dad hit me, hard, and the side of my face stung. I kept my face emotionless, despite the fact that my cheek seemed to be rising in temperature; I wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing my pain. He didn't deserve that reward.

"Stupid, lazy, good-for-nothin' kid," my father spat. I didn't reply. "What did you think, that I wouldn't notice you stealin' my food? What do I look like, a soup kitchen? Don't let me catch you eatin' in this house again, do you hear? Now go get me a beer." I stalked out of the room, and he called after me, "And don't you go near that fridge!"

Once in the kitchen I slid the door closed behind me and took a deep breath. Flicking on the light next to the sink I looked in the dingy mirror to assess the damage. My cheek looked red, and I winced as I gently touched it with light fingers. Yeah, that was going to bruise soon. A bad one too. With a sigh I turned off the light and grabbed a beer from the cooler on the floor.

"Here Dad," I said listlessly. I set the beer on the coffee table, right next to his feet. He grunted in reply, staring at the television with deep-set eyes. I looked at him with distaste, trying not to show my disgust. My father was a middle-aged man who looked much older than he really was due to his poor health. He had a beer gut larger than any of the neighbors' (which was saying something) and was generally fat, sweaty, and obnoxious. I hated every bit of him.

My dad looked up at me, irritation crossing his flabby face. "Are you still here? Get out of my sight." I did so, and gladly. Stepping outside, I looked up at the cloudy grey sky. It was a better sight than the one around me. Broken-down houses, people smoking on corners, trash lining the gutters. The place was a wreck. My house was no different; we lived in a run-down trailer home, just my dad and I. Mom left ages ago, claiming she couldn't take any more. I didn't blame her.

"Jason!" Someone called my name, startling me out of my depressing thoughts. I looked up to see Cali running toward me. She was a junior in high school, about my age, with dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. We'd known each other since we were little. Everyone said we'd make a cute couple, but we were just friends. Cali was nice, that's all.

"Hey." I greeted her with a smile once she reached me. We started walking down the street together. "How's school?"

Her face lit up with excitement. "It's wonderful! I wish you could be there, I'm learning so much."

I shook my head in reply. "Nah, I'm okay with what education I have. Besides, I have a job at the factory, and I could never get a scholarship like you." Cali was going to a nice high school uptown with the help of some grant or other. She absolutely loved it. I might want to do that too, but I had to work almost every day to support my sleaze of a father.

"Is everyone nice to you at school?" I asked. I worried about Cali, mostly because she was so sweet. She was like a little sister to me. When I asked that, though, her face fell. I frowned. "Cali, if anyone isn't nice to you, just tell them that you know a tough senior from downtown that can come and beat them up."

She laughed and playfully socked me in the arm. "Yeah, but you better not show up then. They'd hurt themselves laughing." I made a face, but didn't argue. The truth was, I didn't look very menacing. Because I hardly ate anything, I was slim and lanky. My hair was short and dark and my eyes a muddy sort of hazel. It didn't help that I was pale as anything either. Cali said I was good-looking, but I didn't think so. I did, however, look just like my mother. Sometimes I wondered if my dad was actually my biological parent. Thankfully, I was nothing like him.

Drawing myself away from my thoughts, I noticed that Cali was looking skeptically at me. "What?"

"You look really hungry," she said, her forehead creased with worry. "Your face is all gaunt. When was the last time you ate?"

I sighed, but told her the truth. "This morning I tried to eat some of the pizza in the fridge, but my dad caught me before I'd eaten much." To my shame, Cali's eyes flew to my face and widened with shock.

"That's horrible!" she exclaimed. I couldn't tell if she meant the bruise developing on my face or the fact that my father hit me. "You should come over, I'll get you some food." We turned a corner and went into a tall apartment building. Her home was on the third floor, looking out towards the factories and more of downtown. It was small but neat, and infinitely cleaner than our trailer, probably because only Cali and her mom lived there.

Cali moved into the kitchenette and started to make me a sandwich. I went to help her but she waved me away. "No, sit down. You need to rest. Here." She handed me an ice pack. "Put that on your cheek, it will help the pain." I did as she asked, and the inflammation in my cheek receded a bit.

"Thanks Cali."

"Of course." She sat down next to me on the couch, bringing with her two ham-and-cheese sandwiches. I grabbed one and tried not to eat it too fast. Cali smiled and, when I was done, slid her sandwich over to me. "I made two for you." I tried to protest but she just smiled and said, "No, please eat it. I don't know when you'll be able to get food next."

"Well…thanks." I couldn't keep arguing over free food, especially when what she said was true. Once I had polished off the second one I took the empty plates and set them in the sink. Then I sat back on the couch with a groan. "I wish I could never go home."

Cali made a sympathetic face but replied, "Well, you can stay here for the rest of the day. I don't think we have room to let you sleep over though."

"I can sleep on the floor," I muttered. Despite my grumbling, however, as soon as the sun began to set I started to head home. My neighborhood wasn't the kind of place you wanted to be walking through after dark. A bunch of guys were hanging around on the corner and smoking. They were also laughing rather loudly, so my guess was that they were drunk as well. I pulled my hood over my head and stuck my hands into my pockets, trying not to get noticed. The sun had seemed to set earlier than usual, and the last thing I needed was a fight in the dark.

"Hey!" One of the men called out to me. The greeting was followed by a string of swear words, which I don't care to repeat. I cursed my luck and tried to move on, but they would have none of it. One of the smokers reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Don't grab me," I said as angrily as possible. I wrenched my arm away and, in doing so, made my hood fall back. Once my face was exposed to the streetlight they laughed at my bruise.

"Looks like somebody got to this boy before us." Another man smirked, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Can I move on now, please?" I said, being mockingly polite. The sarcasm went right over their heads. The man who had grabbed my arm moved towards me again.

"Oh, is the little boy scare-" I punched him before he could finish. He fell on his back, out cold, and I took off down the street. The men didn't waste any time caring for their fallen friend, and instead chased me down. Breathing heavily, I darted into a side alley. I looked ahead of me and stopped in surprise. A glowing blue light sat at the end of the alleyway, held up by something or other, I couldn't really tell. Either way, it was strange.

Unfortunately, I had other issues at the moment. My attempt to hide from the men hadn't exactly worked, and now I was trapped in a dead end. Putting my back to the blue light I turned and held my ground. If they were going to beat me up, the least I could do was cause them some harm as well.

One of the drunks smiled, revealing uneven, smoke-stained teeth. "You're in for a world of pain, boy." I tried to hit him but he ducked and, with more agility than I would have credited a drunk guy, slammed me against the ground. I swiped his knees while I was down there and he fell, allowing me time to get back up. The man recovered quickly, however, and I couldn't find an opening. I saw his fist flick to the left and I dodged it. What I didn't see was the fist coming straight at me from the right. He got me square in the eye, and I fell backward into the strange blue light. It didn't shatter, though; instead, it seemed to envelop me, keep me falling forever. Before I could wonder about it, the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up feeling warm sunshine on my face. _That's strange_ I thought. _It's almost never sunny this time of the year. Spring in Chicago isn't normally…pleasant…_ My thoughts slowed as I cracked open my good eye and realized that I wasn't where I last remembered being. In fact, I wasn't sure I was even in Chicago anymore. I seemed to be in some sort of…forest?

I stood up, my curiosity getting the better of me. I was surrounded by trees only slightly taller than me. They were completely green and thin, and it I didn't know better I would have said they looked just like blades of grass. Of course that would be impossible; blades of grass weren't six or seven feet tall.

Suddenly, something roared to life behind me. Trying to protect my ears from the unbelievable level of sound, I turned around to see what could possibly make that much noise. I almost fell over from the shock. A man was starting a lawn mower, yanking the clutch with a burst of strength. But that wasn't the problem; the problem was that the man was well over fifty feet tall. Which meant that the trees _were_ actual blades of grass, and I was standing in the middle of a giant's lawn. A lawn that was about to be mowed. Cut by giant rotating metal blades. I needed to get out of there, and fast.

Gasping for breath, and without time to stop and fully understand my situation, I shoved my way through the grass. I was trying to find a way out. After a few tense minutes of frantic weaving and dodging, I hit a dead end. Black asphalt stretched for what seemed like a mile in front of me, and impassible boundary of road. I sat down at the edge of the grass, defeated. So this was how it would end, by me being cut to pieces by a giant lawnmower. Not exactly what I imagined the end of my life to be like.

Unless this was all some crazy dream. But in dreams, you couldn't feel the sweat beading on your forehead.

The roaring noise grew and grew, until I knew the machine was right behind me. It was then that some surprising amount of determination gripped me. I ran out onto the road, heedless of the possible danger of a giant automobile. It didn't matter to me anymore, which way I died. Instead, some kind of survival instinct kicked in.

The terrible noise behind me stopped, and I forced myself to turn around. The giant driving the lawn mower had halted, and was looking at me with confusion. Taking off his gardening gloves, he reached down with an enormous hand. Survival instinct gone, and all my nerve failing me at the sight of him, I offered no resistance as he picked me up between his thumb and forefinger. _Please don't kill me _I silently prayed. It was about the only thing I could do.

Instead of killing me the man ran inside a house, the height of which I could hardly fathom. Once inside, my eyes had to adjust; the contrast from the bright sun outside and the dim interior light was a bit disorienting. "Honey!" the man bellowed. "Come see what I found in the yard!" All of this I deciphered later once I had become more acquainted with my situation. At the moment, his voice sounded like thunder rumbling above my head.

I heard loud thumps, and soon the man cupped me in both his hands and offered me up to another giant. His wife, I supposed; it was rather hard to grasp how they looked by only seeing at their faces. The woman shrieked loudly once she saw me, and I had to slap my hands over my ears once more. The volume in this place was incredible.

"Why do you have a mouse?" she demanded. I could no longer see her, as she had backed away from her husband.

"It's not a mouse!" the man protested. By this time I was becoming slightly more acclimated to their manner of speaking, and so their conversation was somewhat understandable. "Look, I'll show you." He carried me over and set me down on my hands and knees, I assumed on some sort of table. I slowly stood on shaky legs and looked up to see the woman staring at me in astonishment.

"But…that's impossible," she said.

The man shook his head. "And yet here it is." They both stood up, so unless I craned my neck I could only see their waists. "I'll go finish mowing until dinner's ready."

"Are you sure you want to leave it here?"

"It'll be fine on the table. Besides, you can watch it." He walked back towards what I now saw was the front door and went back outside. She turned towards my left and what must be the kitchen, for soon I heard the clanking of pots and pans.

Completely over stimulated by this point, I closed my eyes. _This cannot be happening _I silently moaned. Things like this were impossible. They just didn't happen. So how could I still be here? Opening my eyes, I moved more towards the middle of the table where I could sit with my back against a peppershaker.

From there I had a pretty good view of that area of the house. To my left was a bright kitchen. At the stove was the woman I had seen before. To my right was the edge of the table and then a wall, but it seemed to end at some point. In front of me was the front door and a large open area, the family room I wagered, judging by the couch and coffee table. That was about all I could see, but it was enough to make me realize that I was way out of my depth here.

"Gina!" the woman called. She was yelling loudly, but since she was further away I could hear her better. "Come down and help me set the table!" I heard footsteps from the ceiling above us, and soon someone else appeared in the living room. It was a young girl, about seven I would guess, with dark brown braids. She hurried to help her mother, but stopped when she saw me.

"What is it?" she asked, peering in to get a closer look at me. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown with flecks of green towards the middle, framed by long dark eyelashes. Right now they were large with curiosity.

"Oh, that? Your father found it out in the front yard. Interesting, isn't it? Now come help get these plates on the table." Gina walked over into the kitchen and took a stack of plates from her mother.

"Can I set a place for him, too?" the little girl asked. Finally, somebody realized I actually had a gender.

The mother smiled in amusement. "Sure, you can do that. Don't give him a big plate though, give him a saucer or something." Gina nodded, and walked back to the table with an excited look on her face. She set plates in front of three chairs at the table, often stealing glances at me when her mother wasn't looking. After setting up places for all three of them, she grabbed a saucer and set it in front of me. I looked at it in surprise. My so-called "plate" was big enough to be a table.

"Mommy?" Gina queried. "What kind of cup should I get for him?"

"We don't have anything that small. Go check on my dresser, I should have a thimble somewhere." Gina went to my right, past the wall and into what must have been her parent's bedroom. She came back with a small thimble held in her hand, which she filled with water from the sink and set next to the saucer. I tried to pick it up, but could only do so with both hands; the thimble was as big as a bucket.

After taking a few sips of water I felt a bit better; still not great, but better. I obviously was not in a position to change anything at the moment, so I resigned myself to simply waiting and watching. Perhaps an explanation would come my way. Or maybe this was the kind of thing that just couldn't be explained.

"Is dinner ready?" I looked up to see that the man had come back in, and was smiling in anticipation of food. I could relate.

"Just about," his wife replied. "Go get washed up, we'll be ready in a minute." The man went the same way that Gina went to get the thimble, and soon I heard humming and running water. Less than a minute later he was back, with much less dirt on his hands.

"Here, let me help you with that," he told his wife, taking a dish of food from her. He kissed her on the cheek before he headed towards the table, making her smile. I watched it longingly, and with a bit of surprise. Nobody I knew, not my parents or anyone else's, were that caring towards each other. Usually it was just cursing and screaming, or in my mom's case, leaving. I had begun to think that a happy marriage only existed in commercials.

Once the table was set they all sat down and started passing around food. Every time a dish reached Gina she would put a bit of it onto my plate, for which I was grateful. The last time I had eaten was at Cali's, and I hadn't eaten much before that. Just smelling the food had made my mouth water. I made myself wait until everyone else was eating, but then I fell to it with pleasure. Since no normal person carries silverware around with them, and they didn't have anything my size, I ate with my hands. Luckily for me, the meal consisted mostly of meat, bread, and cheese, all of which I could eat with very little mess.

Soon, however, I could feel the back of my neck tingling. I looked up to see that everyone was watching me eat. It was quite disconcerting. I turned to look at Gina, who blushed when I set my gaze on her. She had barely touched her own food, which made me think that she had simply been watching me the entire time. Her parents went back to their conversation, but she remained quiet. Perfectly aware that nothing I could do would make her stop staring, I went back to eating.

When the meal was done they cleared away the table, but left me on it. My attention on them in the kitchen, I was caught unawares by the rumbling noise behind me. I turned around to find myself face to face with a cat, a monster larger than any animal I had ever seen. With a yell I scrambled backwards, trying to increase the distance between it and myself.

Hearing my yell Gina turned around. "Mittens, no!" she chastised it. Before she could come and pick it up the cat gave me a disdainful look, as if I wasn't worth it's time, and stalked off the table with its tail in the air. I breathed a sigh of relief, and hoped to myself that I wouldn't continue finding myself in life threatening situations. This place was exhausting.

It must have looked like I was tired too, because after helping with the dishes Gina asked her mother if she could put me to bed. With her mother's approval the young girl came over and plucked me off the table. I was too tired to offer any resistance; besides, what could I possibly do to resist? Cupping me in her hands, which were much smaller and softer than her father's, she carried me through the living room and up the stairs into her bedroom. Setting me in the middle of her bed, which seemed rather expansive from my viewpoint, she laid me down and gave me a tissue as a blanket. "Sweet dreams!" she told me with a smile, and shut the door behind her. I curled up under the tissue and, despite all of the crazy thoughts running through my head, fell asleep almost immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up I felt stiff, as if I had been in the same position for a while. My arm hung over the side of my bed, almost touching the floor. _What an insane dream_ I thought to myself with a yawn. _But I don't really want to open my eyes…maybe I can get back to sleep… _I turned on my side and tried to pull my blanket up to my chin, but ran into a spot of confusion when I realized there was no blanket to pull. Drowsily opening my eyes, I looked around with confusion. This was definitely _not_ my bedroom.

First of all, it had pink wallpaper with little blue flowers on it, but the wallpaper was peeling in the corners. The bedspread had the same design. The bed itself was much softer than mine, as if it were made entirely of memory foam. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, trying to get my bearings. The floor felt odd, as if it was harder than normal. I realized I had fallen asleep with my shoes on. When had that happened?

Before I had time to think through any of this, the whole room shook, bringing me to my knees. _Earthquake?_ I wondered. That is, until the front wall of the room swung open to reveal Gina's smiling face. "You're awake!" she said in delight. Ah. Not a dream after all, then.

Now that the front of the house had been removed, it was much easier to see where I was. I was standing on the second floor of what quite obviously was Gina's dollhouse. The house itself was set on the floor of her room; I could see her bed, which I had originally fallen asleep on, towering above us. She must have moved me in here when she went to bed herself. I moved forward, but I tripped and started falling over the edge of the floor.

With a quick reaction, Gina caught me before I could hit the carpet below. "Are you okay?" she asked, holding me up to eye level.

"Yeah," I gasped, still in quite a bit of shock. "I'm fine. Thanks." She looked at me in surprise, and I realized that I hadn't ever spoken to them before. I hoped that I hadn't opened a can of worms with that one.

"Mommy!" Gina shrieked, jumping to her feet and carrying me out of the room. I tried not to get jostled out of her hands as she ran down the stairs.

"What is it, sweetie?" her mother asked. She was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a magazine. When she saw me in Gina's hands she smiled. "Oh, is he awake now?"

Gina nodded and added, "But that's not the only thing! He can talk!" As she said this she set me down on the coffee table and sat next to her mother.

The older woman looked at me skeptically. "Are you sure, Gina? You may have just been imagining things."

The little girl shook her head obstinately. "No, I heard him!" She looked at me with eager eyes. "Say something!"

"What should I say?" I replied. Anyone normal sized would have thought I was shouting, but I was just trying to speak more at their volume. As loud as they talked to each other, if I talked normally they probably wouldn't have been able to hear me.

Her mother gasped and looked at me with newfound astonishment. "How incredible," she murmured. "Gina, go get your father. He's outside working again." Gina nodded and ran out the front door, leaving me in the care of her mother. She returned with the man who had found me, dragging him inside by the hand.

"Come look, Daddy! He can talk. Mommy heard it too." All three of them sat down and looked at me, two with excitement and one with expectation.

"Hello," I said, feeling more than a bit awkward with all of their eyes on me. "I'm Jason, nice to meet you." I paused, but they obviously expected me to keep talking, so I continued, "Um, thanks for not running me over with your lawnmower. Really appreciate that."

The man stared at me with the same look that his wife had used. "Astounding!" he exclaimed, breaking into a smile. "Absolutely brilliant."

"Does this mean we can keep him, Daddy?" Gina asked with excitement.

He hugged her. "Of course it does! Gina, can I trust you to take care of him? He'll be your responsibility." His daughter nodded with bright, happy eyes. "Alright, I'm leaving him to you. I'll be outside." He got up and went back out the front door, muttering "Astounding!" to himself again as he left.

Gina's mother stood up again and headed towards the kitchen. "Bring him to the kitchen table and I'll get you two some breakfast." Gina picked me up and then dropped me onto the kitchen table, taking a seat in front of me. Her mom brought her a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. "I'll get him a plate in a second," she promised.

"That's okay, he can just eat off my plate," Gina offered. She looked at me expectantly. "Right?" I nodded; I didn't mind how I ate, as long as I did get to eat something. The eggs seemed too hot to touch, so I started with the toast. I winced as my bruised jaw ached, sending pain up through my jawbone and to my black eye. After everything that happened I had almost forgotten about my injuries.

Gina looked at me with worry. "Are you hurt?" She tilted my face up with a gentle finger under my chin, and looked at me with concern. "You have a bruise, did you get that when you fell?"

"No, I had that before," I said, flushing with embarrassment and turning my face away from her. The last thing I wanted was a seven year old inquiring into my personal life and giving me pity. Especially one whose dollhouse I would probably be sleeping in for a while yet.

"What's wrong?" the mother asked, coming over to look as well. "Oh dear, I didn't notice that he had a black eye yesterday. Did he just get that?"

"No, he said he's had it for a while," Gina replied, faithfully repeating my words.

Her mother shook her head. "That poor thing. What with your father almost running him over with the lawnmower yesterday, it would seem he's had a rough couple of days."

_You can say that again_ I thought to myself. My life just seemed to be getting worse and worse. Then again, these people had only treated me with kindness, a reaction the type of which I had only ever received from Cali and her mom.

When we were both finished eating Gina took the plate to the sink. After being excused by her mother she ran upstairs with me again. Taking a seat on her bed, she attempted to pull my shirt over my head.

"Hey!" I protested, struggling to keep my shirt on. "What are you doing?"

The young girl frowned, and looked at me with confusion. "I'm going to get you dressed for the day."

I was speechless for a moment as I pondered this new information. Yes, I had slept in a dollhouse the last night, but that didn't mean I was ready to be a plaything quite yet. "Uh, Gina, I'm okay with the clothes I have on right now," I told her.

"But they're dirty," she replied.

I looked down at my outfit. It wasn't necessarily spotless, but I was wearing some of the cleaner clothes I owned. "I think they're all right," I said.

She shook her head at me. "No, silly. Those are the clothes you had on yesterday." Leaving me on the bed she stood up and started rummaging in a drawer. When she came back she had clothing my size in her hand. She dropped the articles of clothing on the bed next to me, and I went to inspect them. They consisted of a white t-shirt and pants that looked like jeans, but were made of the same material as the shirt. Basically, it was close to what I was already wearing, except the cloth was a bit thicker and coarser.

"Can I dress you?" Gina asked, looking at me with beseeching eyes. "Please?"

I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that like it or not she was going to have her way. After all, what could I really do about it? And nobody was around to see my indignity… "Alright," I agreed, and she smiled in delight. "But I'll undress myself, okay?" She nodded, so I sat down and started untying my sneakers.

Once I had stripped down to my boxers, Gina started to dress me in the clothes she had chosen. She was really gentle, but I still would rather have gotten dressed myself. It felt absurd to be handled in such a way, but I supposed I would have to get used to it soon enough. Part of me wanted to never get used to it; that side of me protested my weakness on account of trying to escape, to go back home. Of course, without any idea of how I came to be there in the first place, it was impractical to consider making an escape.

After dressing me, Gina put me back in the bedroom of the dollhouse that I had woken up in. She handed me my old clothes and my shoes, and then shut the front of the house once more. I could hear her moving about outside, so I assumed that she was getting dressed as well. Picking up my dirty clothes, I put them on the bottom of a plastic wardrobe that stood in the corner of the room. I then put my socks and shoes back on and sat on the bed, waiting for Gina to finish up.

Most of the days I spent there progressed in a similar manner. In the morning I would wake up in my new bedroom, and then go down and eat breakfast with Gina. She would dress me in something new, or in my old clothes if she had washed them in the sink recently. I would spend the day with her, playing or talking, and eating all our meals together. If she was out with friends I was left to my own devices, stuck in the closed-up dollhouse until she came back. Then, when nighttime came around I would go to my room once more, trying to make the bed feel like anything but a piece of play furniture.

It was a boring, and at times undignified, lifestyle. But soon I was about to wish for a little less excitement. Apparently rumors about the strange thing that had been found by the Rogers had been floating around the neighborhood for some time. Eventually curiosity got the better of one such neighbor, and he had to come and take a look himself.

Gina and I had been sitting and talking on the floor of her room when he arrived. "Gina!" we heard her mother call up the stairs. "Come down and say hello!"

"I'll be right back," the little girl promised me. She stood up and left, closing the door behind her. I stood up myself and walked over to an air vent next to the wall. A few days ago when exploring I had found that sound from the living room could often be heard clearly from that vent.

"Hey, Tom, good to see you." That was the voice of Gina's father. "Gina, you remember Tom, don't you? He was at our neighborhood cookout last year."

"Oh, don't pressure the girl, Neil." This voice was unfamiliar, the voice of Tom. "It's alright Gina, you don't have to remember me. Man, you sure have grown!"

"Thank you." I could hardly hear Gina's reply she was being so quiet.

"Hey, so uh, you probably figured out why I came?"

Gina's father laughed. "Of course, I wondered how long it would take for somebody to come see for themselves. If it were me I would have been here days ago!"

"Gina." This was the firm voice of Gina's mother. "Go get it so we can show Tom." I could hear Gina's feet thumping up the stairs, and realized with a start that the interesting thing they were talking about was me. I hurried away from the vent and sat down where I had been resting before. When Gina came in I was right where she had left me.

"Come on," she said, picking me up in her gentle hands. "There's somebody that wants to see you." She took me downstairs to the living room, where her father and Tom were sitting on the couch. Thus, it was no surprise when she set me down on the coffee table.

The visitor leaned forward to get a better look at me. "Amazing," he whispered. With a gentle breath he blew the hair away from my face, making me close my eyes. When I opened them again I couldn't help but laugh inside. To see me better he had put on a pair of glasses, and from my angle they made his eyes look twice as big. I didn't dare laugh out loud, though, because he might have been offended.

Tom leaned back and tucked his glasses away again. "I would never have thought it possible," he said, glancing at me once more. "Hey, so there's an idea I'd like to discuss with you." He and Neil, Gina's father, stood up and went to go talk in the kitchen.

My paranoid side got the better of me when they left, and I was afraid that they were talking about me. I couldn't hear a word they were saying, but they often looked over in my direction. Once again, however, there was nothing I could possibly do; so I let Gina take me back up to her room and leave me there. It turned out that my fears were not so unfounded after all.

That night Gina came up to her bedroom with red eyes, and when I asked her what was wrong she started crying. It turns out she had gotten her mother to tell her some of what the men had been talking about, and it didn't seem to bode well for me. "They're going to try and make money off of you," she said, hugging me to her chest and crying on me, as if I were her favorite stuffed animal. I didn't mind getting wet, but the words she uttered had chilled me to the core. Making money off of me was just what my dad had been doing for years; but somehow I doubted that they had a factory position in mind.

"How are they going to do that?" I asked, but my voice came out all muffled through her shirt. Once she stopped squeezing me I tried again.

Gina sniffed, her eyes still a little teary. "They want to show you to people. There's a farmer's market that comes every Saturday and they want to bring you and charge people to see you."

"Well, that's okay, Gina," I said, shaking out my salt watery hair. "Why are you crying so much? It's just one day."

"Yeah, but what if people are mean? What if they hurt you?"

I paled at the suggestion of pain, but put on a brave face for her. "Then it won't be the first time and it won't be the last. C'mon Gina, it'll be fine. I'll get to go outside with you for once."

She sniffed, but smiled at me. "You sure?"

I smiled back. "Positive." _Unless someone breaks my leg or something. What would we do then? _ But that fear I wasn't going to voice out loud. I was hesitant to go somewhere where there would be more danger, as this world was dangerous for me as it was. However, I wasn't going to let Gina know that, and I wasn't going to risk not being able to go outside for once.

I would later regret that resolution. I never have good luck, do I?


	4. Chapter 4

That Saturday Gina woke me up earlier than usual and dressed me in the clothes I had brought from home. She had set up a small cardboard box for me to sit in during the trip, which had a blanket lining the bottom so that it was more comfortable. To my relief she didn't close the top, but instead left it open. Once I was ready she picked me up and put me in the box, then took me downstairs and outside.

She put the box, with me in it, on her lap during the travel. I was grateful for this because it reduced the bumps and vibrations caused by the car's movement; however, I still felt more carsick than usual. I curled up in the corner and put my head between my knees, trying not to throw up. Normally I didn't get motion sick easily, but the movement of such a large vehicle heightened the sensation.

"Are you all right?" Gina asked me in a whisper.

"Yeah," I replied, looking up at her worried face. "I'm just a little carsick."

She frowned, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "Maybe looking out the window will help," she said. Reaching into the box she pulled me out and, once I was sitting on her palm, held me up to the window.

The view was…astounding, to say the least. Up until this moment, I hadn't fully recognized the reality of what was happening to me. But when I saw house after house pass by, all of which were the size of Gina's, the truth finally sunk in. _They_ weren't the strange ones here, _I_ was; and the validity of that statement was about to be proved the hard way.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the farmer's market, I caught a glimpse of all the people milling about before Neil made Gina remove me from the window and put me back in the box. "Close it up," he instructed her, and she closed the top of my temporary room. Small shafts of light came in through holes that had been poked through the lid, and through these I could still hear what was going on. "We don't want anyone to get a sneak peek," her father added, and then I had to sit down, for Gina got out of the car and started after her father.

"Neil, glad you could make it." I recognized the voice of Tom, the friend who had suggested this venture in the first place.

"I see you went ahead and got us a spot," Gina's father replied. "With a tent and everything!"

"What are friends for? I made a small room out of tarps in the back, you can set it up there. I'll try and start gathering a crowd." We started moving again, and soon the sharp sunlight coming through the air holes was reduced to a dim, shaded tint. Gina set down my box and opened the top, plucking me out as gently as ever. She set me on a table, one not quite so large as the one in the kitchen but about as high.

Standing on legs that felt as if they had just stepped off of a boat, I looked around and tried to gather my bearings. As in every new place I found myself, my scope of vision was rather limited. The table I stood on held nothing save myself; the box had already been cleared away. Blue and green tarps had been hung from the ceiling of what I assumed to be a large gazebo, an easy-up or something of that sort. They made a small room, at the back of which stood the table and a folding chair. The space in front remained clear for people to stand and watch. Outside I could hear Tom trying to catch a few customers.

"Come one, come all! See the impossible, the incredible! I guarantee you haven't laid eyes on anything like it! Only two bucks a person, come and see!"

"Gina, you stay here and look after it. I'm going to go help Tom." Gina's father flung the front tarp aside and exited, letting it fall back into place behind him.

Gina took a seat on the folding chair next to me. "Alright, so you remember what to do?" she asked me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. This morning they had instructed me on what I was to do in front of the guests, how I was supposed to act and such. It wasn't much: Gina would ask me questions, I would answer any of the guest's questions as well, walk around, et cetera. The acting wasn't what made me nervous, it was more the expectation of seeing even more people that size, and complete strangers at that. I would never admit it, but this entire situation scared the living daylights out of me.

"Two dollars each, please," I heard Tom say from outside the tarp. This meant we were in business. Soon the makeshift wall was pushed open and a few young women were admitted. They looked around college-aged, and if their bags were any indication they had been shopping at the market all morning. Gina's dad followed them in and stood behind us. The young women looked at me with surprise, and some confusion.

"Go on," whispered Gina, giving me a nudge with her index finger. I reluctantly stepped forward, and the guests' eyes lit up with astonishment and delight.

"Hello!" I greeted them, speaking loudly enough that everyone could hear me. I waved at them, and one of the girls started to wave back before she realized what she was doing. She blushed and quickly put her hand down, all the while keeping her eyes on me. "I hope you're having a fun time here, and thank you for stopping by to see me." I continued with similar pleasantries, always to the shock of our two guests. After my introduction Gina directed me about, asking questions she knew I could answer and allowing the women to ask a few questions as well.

Of course, an inevitable question soon popped up. "Can I touch it?" asked the young woman who had waved to me. Her face shone with excitement while mine must have seemed paled with nerves.

Gina looked up at her father with a questioning glance, and he turned to face the young women. "You may touch, but please be gentle. It's a delicate creature."

"I do have a gender, you know," I muttered to myself, too quietly for any of them to hear.

The young woman reached out with a shaky hand and ran her finger through my hair, sending shudders up my spine. She gasped and snatched her hand back at the movement. "It really is alive!" she shrieked, rather too loudly for my comfort.

Her friend scoffed. "Of course it is! What did you think it was, a robot?" Before I could notice she snatched out her hand and picked me up, holding me at about eye level. "It's so warm," she breathed, blowing my hair out of my eyes as she exhaled. The young woman looked back up at Neil and Gina, letting the hand that held me fall a little lower. She started asking him a question, but my attention was elsewhere at the moment. Her fingers were loosening, and I could feel myself slipping out of her grasp. Frantically I tried to hang on, but to no avail. With a yell I started falling towards the floor.

I could hear Gina shriek and sensed commotion, but my fall was abruptly halted. A button on the woman's shirt had gotten caught up under my shirt and arrested my fall. Luckily for me, I was shocked but otherwise unhurt. Gina rushed over, and the woman plucked me off and thrust me back into Gina's safe hands. "I-I'm so sorry!" the woman stammered. While Gina took care to make sure I was okay her dad cajoled a few extra bucks out of the young women and sent them on their way.

Unfortunately for me, they still spread word all around the market about the incredible creature to be seen at the tent in the back. Before an hour had passed people were ready to break down the door to get in and see me. Neil only let in fifteen people at a time, but in my opinion that was still way to many people for our makeshift tent. After the first incident Gina wouldn't allow anyone to touch me, for which I was grateful. However, by the end of the day I was thoroughly exhausted. I had been made to go over the same acts dozens of times, and to suffer the curious gazes of all sorts of strangers. I was beginning to feel like I was a freak, a circus sideshow; then again, I suppose I sort of was.

By the time we packed up and headed home, I had completely lost my voice and could barely stand up. Even though the box wasn't the most comfortable place, I still managed to take a nap on the way back. Gina woke me up to give me some soup at dinner, but then she set me up in her dollhouse and let me go to bed. Through the vent I could hear her father talking about how profitable the day was, and the possibility of showing me in the house too. Before I could get too worried, however, Gina convinced him to give me some time to recover.

Gina. My guardian angel.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up the next morning I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I sat there curled up underneath the blankets, wondering why my life had to suck so badly. Soon enough Gina opened up the front of the dollhouse and looked inside, concern written all over her young face. "Jason, are you okay?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Are you sick?"

I coughed and struggled to sit up, shivering violently. "Yeah, it seems like it. Yesterday wiped me out completely," I said in a hoarse voice. She leaned in and I repeated myself, mustering as much volume as I physically could (which wasn't much considering). "I don't think I can walk without falling over."

Gina's eyes turned glassy, and I could see a mix of worry and irritation behind them. "I told Daddy we shouldn't have gone out all day. Now you're sick! Come on." She reached in and scooped me out of the house, blankets and all. Cupping her hands around me for safety she took me downstairs and placed me on the kitchen table.

I wrapped myself more snugly into the blanket as she went around the kitchen making breakfast for me. "Gina, what would I do without you?" I whispered to myself. At home whenever I fell sick Dad would banish me from the house. Usually I ended up locking myself in my room and pretending I wasn't sick, or forcing myself to walk all the way to Cali's house. So having someone take care of me was something completely new.

"Here you go," she said, placing some crushed crackers and a thimble of hot tea with honey in front of me. "Careful, the tea is still hot."

"Thanks," I croaked, reaching for the thimble with both hands. I blew on it and took a sip, shivering with pleasure as the warmth spread through my body.

Gina's father appeared out of his room, straightening the collar of his shirt. Seeing us sitting at the table he came and joined us. "Is it okay?" he asked Gina, quite obviously referring to me. He looked concerned, but probably just because of the fact that if I died he wouldn't get any more side money.

"Yes, he should be alright soon," Gina replied, not meeting his eyes. She wrapped the blanket more securely around my shoulders with gentle fingers. I smiled at her, trying to convey without words that what happened yesterday was in no way her fault. I could see that she felt guilty about my state of health.

Her father sighed and sat back in his chair with an easy smile. "Oh, that's good. I want it to be in good shape for Thursday."

"Thursday?" Gina wondered. "But the farmer's market doesn't come back until Saturday."

"Yes, but dear your mother and I were talking and…well, you're just a little girl so you wouldn't understand…we're having people to visit on Thursday, and I thought it would be nice to show it to them, just for curiosity's sake."

"But Daddy, you promised!" Gina protested. I completely agreed with her, but didn't bother getting involved in the argument. She may listen to my opinion, but her father sure wouldn't.

"Gina, be reasonable. It's a very special creature, but it's an animal nonetheless. If it can be of use to us…well, then we should use it." He reached out to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder but she shied away, tears forming in her eyes.

She reached out and picked me up. "Well, I'm taking care of him until he gets better. And that means no people," she said, but then bit her lip and added, "until Thursday."

Her father smiled confidently. "Of course. It's all yours, sweetheart." She beamed with delight and rushed upstairs with me in hand.

As I rested in bed for the entirety of the day, I wondered what I should do. Part of me wanted to try to find a way back home, where I was perfectly normal like everyone else. Then again, what was waiting for me there? Just a burnt-out excuse for a father and a low-paying factory job. I hardly ever got any food, and nobody was there to look out for me. Perhaps I was better off just staying with Gina.

She asked me about it once. "Don't you miss your family?" she had asked, one day when she had returned from school to find me staring out the window in depression.

I had turned to her with a sad smile. "Not really. I don't have a mom anymore, and my dad…well, he doesn't really like me."

Gina had looked at me with hurt. "That's sad," she had said. "I know! I'll be your new mom."

Laughing aloud, I had replied, "It's okay, Gina. I can take care of myself."

But could I really? I was less than six inches high, in a world that saw me as a freak of nature. If I found myself alone, could I handle it? I turned over in my bed with a sigh. _I'll cross that bridge when I come to it_ I thought. For now, all I could do was take things one step at a time, and hope I got better quickly.

That, however, didn't happen as planned. It must have been three days before I felt better, and by that time it was Thursday and we were about to have visitors over. I had taken to sitting on the windowsill and watching everything while Gina was busy at school, and that's where she found me when she returned home. As she put away her backpack I slipped off of the ledge and onto the roof of my dollhouse, which is how I had reached the window in the first place.

Gina came over and knelt, looking at me with a happy smile. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked cheerfully, holding out her hand as if inviting me.

"No…" I said, looking at her in confusion. I stepped onto her hand and sat cross-legged for stability. "I know today's Thursday and it's 3:30. What's so special about that?"

"It means it's bath time!" Gina declared, carrying me into her bathroom. She set me on the counter and started running the water in the sink.

I stood up and peered over the edge at the water that came gushing out of the enormous faucet. "A bath?" I questioned skeptically. The sink was large enough to be a small swimming pool.

The water began to steam and Gina shut the plug at the base of the sink, allowing it to fill up with water. She then reached over and started taking off my shirt. "I can do it myself," I complained without resisting.

She gave me a gentle smile. "I know," she replied, but continued undressing me anyways. Once we were down to my boxers I sat on the side of the sink and slid my legs into the warm water. Gina turned off the faucet and I dropped in, enjoying the heat from the water.

I returned to the surface with a gasp, sweeping the wet hair back from my face. "That feels so good!" I said, floating on the surface of the water.

Gina beamed, and I could tell that she had something else she was excited about. "Don't forget to use soap," she scolded me. I rubbed a bit off of the bar soap and started washing my hair. She smiled and left, for what reason I didn't know, and didn't really care. This bath felt like pure heaven and I was happy to be taking one, even if it did mean that people were coming over.

In a few minutes Gina returned with a washcloth and a small parcel wrapped in tissues, which she hid behind the toothpaste when she thought I wasn't looking. I pulled myself out of the water and she draped the washcloth over me. Shivering in the suddenly cool air, I wrapped the washcloth around me and tried to get warm and dry. "I have a surprise for you!" Gina exclaimed, pulling out the parcel she had hidden moments earlier.

"What is it?" I asked, rubbing myself dry. With light fingers she unwrapped the small package. Fairly dry now, I walked over to take a look. It was a suit, perfectly sized and wonderfully made. I looked up at Gina with astonishment. "Where did you find this?" I wondered.

Gina beamed at me. "We went to a specialty store and it looked like it would fit. Go ahead, try it on." I started pulling on the clothing. The detail was amazing considering the fact that I was only a few inches tall. They even had a tie, which I had a bit of difficulty putting on. Overall, it was the fanciest outfit I had worn in my entire life. And it fit pretty well, too.

"Gina, this is amazing!" I exclaimed. "Thank you, I love it. This is the best surprise anyone had ever given me." _Much better than when my mom left_ I thought. _Or the time that my dad accumulated a pile of debt for me to fix. Those weren't great surprises._

The young girl shone with happiness. "Oh, I'm so glad!" she said. "I wanted you to have something nice to wear when people came over. You look very professional now."

I turned to look in the mirror and smiled. "Yes, I suppose I do."

Gina scooped me up and left the bathroom, heading downstairs. "Look Mommy!" she said once she reached the kitchen, holding me up towards her mother.

The woman took a look at me and smiled warmly. "Aww, it's cute," she said. I flushed with embarrassment. _Cute_ wasn't exactly the word I would have preferred, but it was still nice to receive a compliment.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We had visitors over to see me, and I went through he same routine as ever. That night Gina closed me up in the dollhouse as I got ready for bed. I put my suit away in the wardrobe, and realized with some surprise that I had almost as many clothes as I did back home. I sat on the edge of my bed with a sigh. This place was beginning to seem normal to me, and I didn't know whether to be scared or relieved. I had started to see myself as small, instead of them as big, and I had no will to try and find my way home. Was this really the best thing for me?

I shook my head and crawled under the covers. It didn't matter now, as there was nothing I could do about it.

I woke up the next morning and found that Gina was already at school. _I must have been really tired_ I thought with a yawn, and got up to get dressed.

Since Gina hadn't bothered to open up the front of the dollhouse before she left, I had to get out my own way. Tying on my sneakers I took the stairs to the attic of the dollhouse. There was a trapdoor in the corner, which I pushed open by standing on a chair I put there for that purpose. I pulled myself out of the dollhouse and stood on the roof of it, from which point I could clamber up onto the windowsill.

Standing up I took a deep breath, enjoying the breeze from the open window. It was a fairly nice day, and the weather was consistently getting warmer. My caretaker had opened the window before she left, and from the windowsill I could see up and down our entire street. Looking out the window, I realized that I would be able to enjoy the sunshine if I walked out and sat on the roof. The slope wasn't too severe, so I shouldn't have any fear of falling.

With only a little bit of effort I slid open the screen and stepped outside. I couldn't help but smile; this was the first time I had been soaking up sunshine without someone staring at me. Sighing with pleasure I walked out a few more inches and took a seat. The tiles were warm beneath me, heated by the dazzling sunshine. Suddenly overcome with heat and sleepiness, I closed my eyes and rested on my back. _A little nap won't hurt_ I told myself. As long as I wasn't getting sick again, I figured I would be fine.

Something cold and wet splashed onto my face, startling me from a deeper sleep than I had expected. I sat up blinking and took a quick look around. Large raindrops were crashing into the roof around me, and by the looks of it they had for a while. It seemed it took the rain awhile to hit me just right. Getting to my feet I attempted to make my way back to the open window, but the roof tiles were too slick. I fell forward, slipping as I attempted to regain my balance, to no avail. With a stream of curse words I slid backwards and fell into the rain gutter at the edge of the roof. Swept along helplessly by the flood of water I plunged into the darkness of the drain and was washed out into the yard, gasping for air and soaking wet.

Drenched from head to toe I crawled out of the way of the pipe, which was still gushing water at an incredible rate. I flopped onto the grass, my heart still pounding as adrenaline coursed through my veins. When I fell asleep I hadn't expected to end up out in the yard, alone. At the moment I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The storm passed as suddenly as it had arrived, and when the clouds cleared away a bright sun shone through and dried most everything up. Squinting in the sudden sunlight, I stood up and took a look around. The neatly trimmed grass came to about my shoulders, and stretched out until it hit the sidewalk. To my left a large tree towered above me, so high I couldn't see the top of it. I thought it looked like a maple, but I couldn't be sure from this angle.

Then, a strange thought hit me out of the blue. _I could escape_ I thought in wonder. After all, both parents were unaware that I was in the yard, and Gina was at school…Gina. I couldn't do this to her. If I left, she would be beyond upset. Especially if I left without saying goodbye. "Well, that sucks," I said to nobody in particular, and sat with my back against the tree. "Besides, I couldn't survive on my own. This world is very dangerous for the likes of me." I was trying to convince myself more than anything else.

As if to prove my point, a series of loud thumps started up from behind me. I turned around to see an enormous dog bearing down upon me. I scrambled backwards, but the tree trunk was behind me and I could go no further. In other words, I was trapped.

The dog stopped and cocked its head, gazing at me with curious dark eyes. Suddenly its ears cocked and its tail started to wag, as if it had just caught my scent and decided it liked it. I slowly stood up and put my hands out in front of me. "Good dog…" I said in what I hoped was a soothing tone. The dog looked at me with some surprise when I spoke, and I was hoping it had decided to go away.

Instead, the dog reached out and took me in between its teeth, and trotted away out of the yard. "Hey!" I yelled, struggling to remove myself from its grip. "Put me down now, you daft dog!" Unsurprisingly, the dog ignored me and continued making his way down the neighborhood street. A few houses down it turned into another yard and continued up to the house door, entering the residence through a dog flap. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the indoor lighting, and the dog carried me into what looked like a living room.

"What have you got there, boy?" a man's voice asked. All I could see from my position were a pair of feet, coming ever closer. The dog dropped me onto the carpet, where I landed rather ungracefully, and barked in excitement. Pushing myself back up, I turned around to see a familiar face staring down at me in surprise. The dog belonged to Tom.

"TJ!" Tom chastised the dog, rather too loudly for my comfort. The dog whined and shrank backwards, confused by this sudden outburst. "Bad dog!" Tom then reached down and snatched me up in a not-too-gentle grip. He gazed at me keenly, flipping me over to check for any injuries. The dog had carried me as gently as it could so there were no cuts, but I could tell I would still develop some bruises from its teeth.

Tom held me in his hand when he was finished, and I ventured to ask him a question. "Um, could you possibly take me back to the house now?" I asked, feeling suddenly nervous without Gina around. "Because, you know, I'm really not supposed to be outside, and this is all a big accident, and…" Tom suddenly squeezed me tighter and I choked on my next words, gasping for air.

The man looked down at me, and all I could see in his eyes was a sort of idle curiosity. It was now obvious that he saw me only as a thing, a device which he wanted to know more about. "Gina's school doesn't get out for a few hours," Tom said in reply do my question. I swallowed nervously, wondering where this could possibly go. "Until then, you're mine."

Great. That couldn't possibly mean anything good.


	6. Chapter 6

"Um, so what exactly are we doing here?" I asked, somewhat apprehensively. In front of me stood a webcam-looking thing on top of a miniature tripod. It was connected to a large laptop which Tom had set up next to me on the table.

The man ignored me until he was finished with whatever he was doing on the computer. Even then he hardly spared me a glance. "Just do as I say," he replied dismissively. I walked around to the other side of the camera and tried to figure out what was on the large screen of the laptop. Tom pushed me away with his closest hand, but not before I got the gist of the exercise.

"You're filming me? Why?" I said in confusion. There seemed to me no reason to film me. What would I do? Besides, it wouldn't get him any money.

"People don't believe you exist," he said, without even looking at me this time. "And if they don't believe, they won't pay to see you. A video will increase their curiosity.

Without warning Tom picked me up in his none-too-gentle fingers and set me in front of the camera again. "Hey, easy!" I protested, attempting to regain control of my legs.

Tom smirked and looked down at me condescendingly. "Oh, did I hurt the wittle boy's pride?" he said mockingly. I flushed with anger; not that I had liked Tom from the start, but I still hadn't expected him to be so… disrespectful. Just because he was big didn't mean he had the right to push me around. What was I, his pet? No, even worse; I was just some idle curiosity to pass the time with, hopefully getting a bit of profit along the way.

The man pressed a button on the top of the camera and a little red light on the front began to blink. "Go ahead," he prompted me.

I looked at the camera skeptically, wondering how this situation could possibly be more awkward. "What should I say?" I wondered aloud. Never having had a camera, I was unsure of what I was supposed to do in front of one.

Tom shrugged. "I don't care, just do something."

I sighed, but turned to face the camera anyways. "Um, hello?" I said to the blank lens, more as a question than a statement. "My name's Jason." Giving up, I looked at Tom in frustration. "I have no idea what to do!" I complained.

My complaints were interrupted by something warm and wet sliding up my back and making my hair stick out at odd angles. Turning around, I saw the dog had come up behind me. It had its paws on the table beside me and was wagging its tail happily, the tongue lolling out of its mouth. Judging by the amount of liquid on an entire side of me, I suppose it had taken a liking to me.

"Thanks," I told it sarcastically, wringing the slobber out of my hair before it could dry there. "Now I'm going to have to take another bath, you daft thing." The dog barked in reply, the sheer sound causing me to fall backwards. I swear the creature smiled. Tom certainly found it funny, as I could hear him chuckling behind me.

"That should do for a teaser," the man said, flicking off the camera. He busied himself with the laptop, ignoring me completely. The dog looked so happy that it might want to lick me again, so I moved towards the center of the table.

I was about to sit down when my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't had breakfast or lunch that day. "Uh, Tom?" I asked nervously, unsure of how he would react to my question.

"What?" he replied curtly, still involved in his work.

"I'm kinda hungry…"

Tom sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Taking care of you is such a chore," he muttered, but loud enough that I could still hear it. "You're even worse than the dog."

I frowned, quite unhappy with the way things had been progressing between us. People need to eat, what was so trying about that? I didn't even eat that much, not compared to the rest of them. As far as I was concerned, he was just being unnecessarily obnoxious. Like it was my fault I had somehow ended up in a world of giants.

"I suppose I can find you something," he grunted, standing up out of his chair and looming over me. Without so much as the courtesy to ask he picked me up once more and took me into the kitchen. Setting me on the granite counter he started looking through the cupboards. "What does something like you eat, anyways?"

"Some_one_ like me eats the same stuff that you do." He looked at me curiously and I flashed him a mischievous grin, adding, "People food."

"Well, aren't we smart," he retorted quietly, and to my pleasure he sounded irritated. I would rather have him irritated and acknowledging me than perfectly fine and pretending I didn't exist. "Here," he said, tossing a sleeve of crackers onto the counter next to me. "I'm going to go back into the other room. If I come in and find you gone, you won't like it. Understood?"

I nodded, my imagination bringing to mind terrible ideas of stuff I "wouldn't like". Not that I could even get down from the counter without breaking something, but anything was worth a thought. As he walked back into the first room, the dog trotting along behind him, I gratefully drew one of the crackers out from the plastic sleeve and began to eat.

They say you never know what you've got until it's gone, and I was beginning to realize the truth of that. Yes, I was going to be back with Gina by dinnertime, but what if I hadn't been with Gina in the first place? If Tom had been the one to find me, where would I be now? Surely not well fed and cared for; more likely starving and ignored, with an all-time low self-esteem. I'm glad fate chose to place me in the good yard.

That set me to thinking, as most things in this place did. I always wanted to go outside, but look what happened when I did. If I have absolutely no defense for myself in this big, wide world, who's to say I can't get in even more trouble? The world was a very dangerous place for someone like me. Then again, I didn't want to live my entire life as Gina's baby and the community sideshow. There had to be something else. But was there something else better?

The time passed slowly, and when my hunger was abated I resigned myself to watching the clock on the wall tick onward. Surely Tom would take me back right at three, or Gina would come here looking for me. I felt bad about getting lost; she would be so worried when she didn't find me at home. One thing I never wanted to do was harm such an innocent soul.

About ten minutes after Gina's school let out, Tom returned to the kitchen. "Come," said Tom, swooping me up before I had a chance to protest. "Your owners will be looking for you."

Anger and what little pride I had left returned and I blushed red. "Nobody owns me!" I complained, frustrated that he just kept treating me less like a person. But he had already opened the door and walked outside, and the sudden wind carried my fruitless words away.

Being carried by Tom was almost as undignified as my trip with the dog. I felt like a naughty child being brought home by the collar. Instead of holding me carefully in his cupped hands, I dangled from the grip of a single fist, swinging helplessly by his side. Despite my loathsome feelings towards him I clung tightly to his fingers, terrified that if his grip loosened I would plummet to the concrete below.

From my upside-down view I could tell we were getting closer to the house, and soon I could hear Gina's voice calling frantically from the yard.

"Jason? Are you out here?" I heard her yell, the shouts getting ever louder as we approached. "Mr. Tom, have you seen… oh, he's with you!" she cried in relief, and I felt Tom stop as she ran toward us.

"The dog picked him up and brought him to me," Tom explained as Gina took me from the older man.

"Thank you so much!" Gina said, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Jason, whatever were you doing outside?" she scolded me, trying (but failing) to look angry instead of relieved.

"I was taking a nap on the roof, but then it rained and I slipped off," I told her, giving the shorter version.

Her eyes widened with concern. "You fell off the roof? Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Yes, Gina, I'm absolutely fine. I fell into the gutter, don't worry."

Tom retreated back to the sidewalk, a twisted smile playing on his lips. "I'll see you soon," he said, and for some reason I felt like he were speaking to me.

"Thanks again!" Gina called after him. She then rushed inside with me and went up to her room. "You, mister, need a bath and a change of clothes."

I groaned. "No kidding. I got caught in a rainstorm, fell in a gutter, and got slobbered on by a dog. I haven't been this dirty in ages."

Gina giggled, making me smile and remember how lucky I was to have her. "Well, let's get you in the water then!"

After a warm bath and a change of clothes, I found myself sitting on the bed and talking to Gina. Usually she wanted me to read her a story, but today she seemed content with just conversation. I leaned against a mound of covers, content to be home again.

"So, what did you do with Mr. Tom?" my young caretaker inquired.

"Um… he videotaped me and the dog. Well, the dog wasn't really part of the plan, but he seemed to want to be in front of the camera with me."

Gina looked confused. "He videotaped you? To put your video on the internet?"

I shrugged. "I suppose so, I don't really know. It wasn't that long."

Her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "If it's on the internet than we can watch it!" she exclaimed. Slipping off of the bed, she scooped me up and rushed downstairs to the computer desk. I stepped off onto the solid wood and she started up the monitor. To my surprise, she found the video rather quickly.

The first thing I noticed was how small I looked in comparison to everything else. I mean, I was used to being miniature by now, but seeing myself on camera really solidified the idea. It was absolutely crazy to think about. Once I got over that, I didn't bother to watch the rest of the video; after all, I had already heard myself say it once. Instead I took an interested peek at the comments, which were shockingly full for a video that only went up a few hours ago. They went something like this:

"No way, man. This totally isn't real. Computers and stuff."

"Believe it. No computer animation, just something science hasn't explored yet."

"Gotta see this to believe it. I mean like touch it and stuff."

"Local farmer's market, only two dollars. I swear. Bring a friend."

"Right on!"

I scowled, wondering if Tom ever realized that everything he said was completely for personal gain. Gina, on the other hand, seemed completely enamored with the idea of me on video.

"You're so cute!" she squealed, embracing me in a sudden hug. "I want you to stay with me forever and ever."

"Of course," I said as she released me back onto the desk. "I promise. Forever and ever."

It turns out, forever isn't as long as it used to be.


	7. Chapter 7

That weekend we were even busier at the farmer's market, most likely thanks to Tom's little internet post. Every group they allowed in was full, and though I had gained a bit of endurance, it was still difficult for me. Some people even came more than once, even though Tom and Neil kept jerking up the price. "You're very popular," Gina told me with a smile. I didn't feel very flattered; if anything, I felt like a freak of nature, more of a curiosity than anything else. I could almost watch my self-esteem disappear.

We ended that day later than usual, and as Neil tore down the tarps I could see the sun setting. I could also see Tom standing a distance away, talking to someone whom I didn't recognize. The stranger handed him what seemed to be a large wad of cash, which made me even more suspicious of his activities. What was that man up to now?

Tom pocketed the package and walked back towards us with a strange smile. It seemed that I was the only one who noticed anything unusual, as Neil and Gina greeted him as normally as ever. Then again, I was the only one who mistrusted him. "Well, today was successful," he said.

Gina placed me back in the cardboard box as the two men talked. "Yes, we were practically the focus of the entire farmer's market!" Neil cheerfully replied. "It's proven to be quite the moneymaker." The 'it' being me, of course.

We loaded back into the car, and Gina set me on the windowsill. I gazed out at all of the lights as we passed them, thinking too much to go to sleep. I was so confused by my life. It wasn't exactly a good situation; after all, I had little to no self-control, was being used more as an asset than a person, and had begun to lose confidence in myself. Then again, I had a caretaker who loved me and protected me, which is more than I had ever had in my life before. And as long as I was stuck here, it could definitely be worse. But could it be better, too?

That night I lay in my bed, unable to fall asleep and listening to Gina's even breathing. I loved her, and I knew she loved me purely and innocently, as only a child could. But we were so unequal, and definitely not only in age. Our relationship was like nothing I had ever heard of before (and for good reason). I didn't want to leave because I knew it would break her heart, but at some point something had to change. I couldn't live my whole life this way, it would have no meaning.

The next morning, I realized this problem was no longer mine to worry about; but not in a good way. I woke up like I did on any Sunday morning: tired and achy from the day before, but perfectly ready to spend a boring day with Gina. By the time she opened up the dollhouse I was already dressed and ready for the day.

"Good morning!" I greeted her cheerfully as she took me out.

She smiled back at me. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Ah, same as ever," I replied, not wanting to bother her with my sore muscles and gloomy thoughts. "I'm hungry, though. What's for breakfast?"

Gina giggled at my unusually happy-go-lucky mood. "I think pancakes."

"Oh good!" I said, leaning back in her hands with my arms behind my head. "I like pancakes."

We sat at the table together, eating off of the same plate as always. Though it was a bit undignified at times, I had gotten used to eating with my hands; there was no way I was going to manage using a fork. "So," I said, wiping my sticky hands on a nearby napkin. "What are we going to do today?"

The young girl smiled, and I could see she had planned something that made her excited. "We're going to do arts and crafts today!" she exclaimed.

I returned her grin. "Well, that should be fun." It would be interesting to see if I could do anything at all with these crafts, especially if there was glue involved. Not to mention that I wasn't exactly artistically gifted to begin with.

I shouldn't have worried. Gina had chosen the crafts with me in mind, so they were mostly peel-and-stick things. Within minutes I had a panorama of palm trees and beach chairs on the paper in front of me. "Yours is good!" Gina complemented me. I blushed, but I still felt pretty proud of myself. This was one of the only things I had done by myself the whole time I had been here, and despite being a child's craft it still felt pretty good.

Next she brought out finger-paints (much to the displeasure of her mother, who insisted on bringing out a stained tablecloth), and we started on those. "There!" I said, putting my handprint on the paper and laughing. Gina giggled and placed her own there as well; needless to say, hers was much bigger. We played around with the paint for a while, and I had more fun than I thought I would. It turns out, there's a reason why children like stuff like this.

"Look!" she said, holding up her picture for me to see. "It's us!" There was a stick figure girl on the page with braids, and beside her a really small stick figure which I assumed was me.

"Very cute," I told her in approval.

"Aren't you going to make one?" she asked, looking at me with anticipation.

I held up my hands and laughed. "Oh no, I don't have the artistic skill that you do! I'll just stick to this, thanks."

She shrugged, happy with the small compliment. "Okay!" Just then the doorbell rang, causing both of us to look towards the front door.

"Now who could that be?" Gina's mother wondered, wiping her hands as she left the kitchen. She opened up the door with a wary, "Hello?"

We were too far away to hear the people on the other side, but they must have said something convincing because the woman let them in. It was a man and a woman, him in a suit and her in a black turtleneck and jeans. He looked strangely serious, and she looked somewhat nervous. The man seemed familiar, and it wasn't until he stepped fully into the living room that I realized where I had seen him before; he was the man I had seen talking to Tom, the one who had given him all that money. Very suspicious.

They approached the table, and Gina and I shared a worried glance. The man looked at me without interest, but the woman gasped and looked pale. "So it really is true," she muttered quietly to herself. I had a bad, bad feeling about this.

The strange man in the suit turned towards Gina's mom, who looked caught off guard for some reason. "You realize what must happen now, don't you?" he said.

She nodded, her lips pulled tight with some sort of emotion. "Of course." Turning towards her daughter she said, "Gina, go get him cleaned up and ready to leave."

We both stared at her with shock, not comprehending this sudden turnaround. "But…" Gina protested, and I could hear her voice beginning to falter. I was still trying to process what had just been said.

Her mother looked at her sternly, if sadly. "Gina, you heard what I said."

Gina turned away, her eyes welling up with tears nobody but me could see. Quickly she scooped me up and rushed upstairs, leaving the strange couple behind. By the time we had reached the sink in her bathroom she had broken down into quiet tears. "Gina," I said softly, my heart hurting along with hers. "Hey, Gina, look at me."

She sniffled, but turned her face in my direction. Disregarding the fact that I still had paint all over my hands, I took her face in both of my hands and looked into her eyes. "It's okay," I assured her, faking a smile for the both of us. "We knew it had to happen sometime. Just stay strong for me, okay? I'll be fine, but not if I know you're here crying."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" she asked, wiping away her salty tears.

I nodded, trying to be strong for her sake. "I'm positive. Now, let's get this paint off me, shall we?" She smiled and started the water in the sink, allowing me to wash the paint off of my hands and forearms. After that I dried off and she carried me back into the bedroom, setting me down next to my dollhouse bed. As I began to pull clothes out of the small plastic closet, I heard something small flop to the floor behind me. When I turned around a backpack, my size, was resting by the bed.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up and looking it over.

Gina blushed. "It was going to be a surprise gift, but I guess you kind of need it now." I could see the tears fast approaching so I rushed to take her mind off of it.

"Thank you, Gina, it's perfect!" I exclaimed cheerfully, opening it to put my clothes in. To my surprise, there was already something inside of it.

She smiled as I pulled the object out. "I wanted to give you something to remember me by." It was a charm, like the ones on bracelets, in the shape of a paintbrush. Though it must have been small to her, to me it was about as big as both of my hands. Still, it meant quite a lot to me.

"Thank you, really," I said, placing it back in the bag with care. "For everything."

"You're welcome," she said with a soft smile. "Promise you'll keep it and remember me?"

I solemnly put my hand over my heart. "I promise." I then folded my clothes and placed them in the bag, slinging it over my shoulder once I had fastened it. I stepped onto Gina's outstretched hand and she stood up. Suddenly, I was embraced in a strong hug. Beneath me I could feel her body shaking, and I knew that me leaving was breaking her heart.

"I don't want you to leave," she sobbed, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Oh, Gina, I'll miss you too," I said, feeling a bit teary myself. "But at least we get to say goodbye, right?"

"Goodbye," she whispered, hugging me closer. I wouldn't admit it, but I was scared. At least with her I knew where I stood. Who knows why I was leaving with these strangers? The unknown was more frightening than anything I had faced so far.

As she released me I looked up at her with a small smile. "Hey. Be strong, remember?" She nodded, wiping her tears on her sleeve and attempting a smile. With both of us taking a deep breath, we headed downstairs. Gina's mom raised a concerned eyebrow when she saw her daughter's red eyes, but didn't say anything.

"If I may?" said the man, stretching out a hand towards Gina. She reluctantly, if gently, placed me on his palm. "Thank you," he said, smiling politely at her. He lifted me up to a small cage, prompting me to walk inside it. I balked, wondering what was going on with this strange development, but remembering that Gina was watching to make sure I was okay I willingly stepped inside.

They shut and fastened the cage door behind me, and as the woman picked it up I turned around. I could see Gina fighting tears again, and I willed her to be strong. It was the only way I could handle my departure. To my pride she kept a stiff upper lip, and even waved goodbye to me as the man finished talking with Gina's mom and the woman walked me out the door.

I sighed, sitting back in my new surroundings as the house receded and eventually disappeared with the closing of a door. As far as I could tell, the small cage I was in was resting on the woman's lap in the backseat. She and the driver at the front of the car didn't say anything to each other, and soon the man returned and sat in the passenger seat. "Back to the lab, Curtis," he told the driver.

"Yes sir," the man answered, starting up the car and driving away. The man sighed with content and leaned back in his seat. As far as I could tell he was looking out the window.

"This is just too incredible!" the young woman exclaimed, sounding as if the sentiment just burst out of her. "I didn't think it was possible, not even after seeing the video." The video? Oh, just wonderful. So of course I had Tom to thank for all of this. If I were his size I would strangle that man.

The man turned to face her and smiled. "I know. When the informants came back reporting they had seen it at a local farmer's market, I thought they had been duped for sure. But this… this is an incredible breakthrough."

She held the cage I was in up to her face, and I turned to see her bright blue eyes looking at me with curiosity. "I can't wait to examine it. There's just so much we could learn!"

He chuckled. "Well, being scientists for the government does have its perks, Alicia."

Oh, man, was I screwed.


	8. Chapter 8

First: the words "scientist" and "government" should never go together for someone like me.

Second: seeing as my experience with them started out with a cage, I wasn't exactly prone to trust.

And third: the lab we were approaching looked beyond intimidating. I wasn't ready for this, I couldn't have been. Sure, my life kind of sucked before, but at least I had some independence. And afterwards, I had Gina to protect me and care for me. But this… I hated to think it, but so far this cloud didn't seem to have any sort of silver lining.

After making our way through quite a bit of automated security, I found myself looking at a cold, sterile science lab. Everything gleamed, but as far as I could tell nothing was set up in there at the moment. The woman, Alicia, set my cage on the large table in the middle of the room and went to put on her lab coat. The man was nowhere to be seen.

Curious, I walked towards the door of my cage. The bars were far enough apart that I could stick my arm through them. I realized that the door was only closed with a simple latch. With a shrug, I stuck my arm out and around and let myself out. I walked further out onto the slick surface of the lab table, gazing around me and trying to gauge my new surroundings. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a gasp of surprise from behind me.

"What… how?" the woman exclaimed. I turned around to find her looking between me and the cage with shock. She moved closer to me, and I backed up a bit underneath her intense gaze. "How did you manage that?" she asked.

I didn't reply. Not talking was probably a useless gesture, but I didn't want to give them more to work with. At least, not until I knew exactly what I was doing here. Besides, I didn't really feel like talking at the moment.

"Alicia?" the man queried, walking into the room with a lab coat of his own. "What is it?"

"It got out!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me.

The man looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Now that is interesting… and you're sure it did it on its own?" Alicia nodded fervently. "Well, that suggests a level of intelligence and adaptation we didn't expect. Perhaps after testing we'll know more about it."

Testing? I wondered, listening to their conversation with anxiety. This all seemed a bit too cold, too scientific. I wasn't just an experiment, but the way they talked obviously they felt that way. It seemed that in their eyes I was just something to be observed, an anomaly to be figured out. But I felt like anything but an anomaly, and that sort of talk was really disconcerting.

Alicia looked between me and the man with a questioning glance. "What should I do with it? Should I go get another container?" she asked him.

The man shook his head. "No, just leave it on the table for now. We'll allow it to accommodate to its new surroundings." Alicia nodded, as if this made total sense. I, on the other hand, could make no sense of this at all. "Besides," the man added, "the doors are completely sealed. An unauthorized person couldn't get out of this room, much less an animal as small as that."

Wow, he was just adding insult to injury. Not only was the thought of a sealed room rather chilling, but my new…associates had just firmly established their opinion of me. To my anxiety, it didn't seem like a particularly good one. Yet again, fate didn't seem to be going in a favorable direction for me.

The two of them busied themselves around the lab, leaving me to my thoughts. I decided the best use of my time would be to observe them; after all, if they were planning on observing me, I wanted an equal footing.

Alicia, the woman, seemed more like a student than a scientist. She knew what she was doing, but if there was any hint of a question she would immediately turn to the man for clarification. Her black turtleneck and jeans stuck out from the labcoat, turning what would have been a cold formal outfit into something warmer. This, combined with her messy brown hair and the glasses perched haphazardly on her face, allowed her to concede the role of "professional scientist" to whoever else desired it.

That would be the man, whom I eventually heard her call Sebastian. He was the very vision of a white coat: tightly fastened uniform, short cut black hair, narrow eyes, and the lack of a smile all gave the impression that he wouldn't concede leadership to anyone. I had the feeling that he would be my least favorite of the two, if only for his starkly scientific outlook. Being the experiment rather than the scientist, I didn't see my relationship with him blooming into something wonderful.

In fact, I didn't see anything becoming wonderful in the near future. I had gotten fairly used to being dependent on others during my stay with Gina, but that didn't mean I was ready to be a lab rat. If anything I was hoping to find my way home after Gina; obviously that wasn't going to happen.

While I was involved in brooding, Alicia had come up behind me. When I turned about there she was, staring at me with those bright blue eyes. I jumped a bit in surprise, backing away quickly. To my astonishment, and slight amusement, she reacted to my movement as well. With a slight gasp she leaned back, never drawing her gaze away from me.

"Sebastian!" she whispered, I think in an attempt to not startle me.

"What?" he replied casually, making no effort to lower his voice. Obviously he had no such qualms where my comfort was concerned.

Unexpectedly, Alicia broke into a beaming smile. "It's so _cute_, don't you think? I didn't expect it to be so absolutely adorable." I didn't know whether to be happy or upset; was cute all I could achieve in this place? Every female I encountered seemed to find the same characteristic in me, thanks to my size. It couldn't be helped, I suppose. Still, it was a bit…disorienting.

Sebastian looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "If you say so. Has it done anything else worthwhile yet?"

Alicia shook her head, sending her long hair flying into a frenzy. "No, it's seems to still be on edge." She looked up at him hopefully, and I knew what question was coming next. "Do you think I could hold it?"

"Sure," Sebastian replied, not bothering to look up from his paperwork. "It's too small to do any damage, and doesn't seem to have any defenses anyways. Just don't injure it, got that? I want it to be in prime condition for the beginning of testing tomorrow."

"Of course," Alicia breathed, her eyes never leaving me. Biting her lip nervously, she reached out a hesitant hand in my direction. I sighed, but didn't move, knowing the inevitable outcome. It wouldn't do any good to run, or to flinch, because she would grab me regardless. _Better to just get it over with_, I thought, and closed my eyes in resignation. I felt her large, warm fingers wrap around my body and cradle me, lifting me into the air.

With a light breath she prompted me to open my eyes. She brought up her other hand for more stability, and I made myself comfortable. I felt her freeze as I moved, even her breath halting. Only her eyes remained alive, taking in every inch of me. I chanced a smile in her direction; after all, it couldn't hurt to get on her good side. Her eyes widened at this expression and she exclaimed, "Sebastian! It smiled at me!"

With a curious glance the man walked over, peering over her shoulder at me. She looked at me excitedly, while he said, "It showed emotion… can you get it to do that again?" Alicia smiled at me, and I hesitantly smiled back. Sebastian gave me a calculating glance, and smiled coldly. "Yes," he said. "This should prove to be an interesting little project."

Alicia held me for practically the rest of the day, letting me go only to eat lunch and dinner. "What do you think it eats?" she asked Sebastian at our first meal together, a plate with a sandwich and crackers on it sitting in front of her. Sebastian began theorizing about my digestive tract, but I ignored him and started in on a cracker. Both he and Alicia fell silent as they realized what I was doing.

"Well," said Sebastian wryly. "I guess that answers that. We'll just leave it to its own devices, shall we?" Alicia nodded dumbly, and I ignored them both. Feeding myself was fine by me.

The day progressed in a similar manner, but when it became late I began to worry. The unknown was absolutely terrifying; especially where "science" was concerned. As the evening approached Alicia began gathering her things, and I became worried as I realized that she was going to leave me alone with Sebastian. "I have to go," she said in a harried voice, throwing off her lab coat and placing it back on the hook. Sebastian nodded curtly, acknowledging her comment. "I'll see you," she said, looking at me with a wink, "tomorrow!" Then she left, and my usual fears began to return.

The next hour or so passed silently, as neither of us had anything to say. Eventually Sebastian rose and, picking me up with hands almost as cold as his expression, carried me over to some cubbyholes on the wall. He placed me in another cage set up there, and once I scrambled inside he closed the door and fastened it behind me. I couldn't help but have an ominous feeling of finality as the mesh on the front of the cage closed with a ringing "click". With one final glance in my direction he turned around and left the room, closing the (sealed) door behind him. The lights automatically turned off, with only one ceiling light on for safety.

My eyes adjusting to the lack of light, I attempted to find my bearings. At the front there was a bottle of water set up, the kind that I've seen in hamster cages before. The only other thing in there with me was a pile of blankets in the back, assumedly for me to sleep on. Feeling exhausted, and grateful to be alone at last, I tossed my backpack to the side and crawled into my makeshift bed. Pulling the top blanket up to my chin I attempted to get comfortable. Maybe in the morning things would look better.


	9. Chapter 9

When I woke up in the morning, the room was just as dark as when I had fallen asleep. I was alone in the darkness, more alone than I had ever been. With no one I could possibly rely on. Feeling as insecure as when I was six, I pulled a blanket around me and sat in the corner of my cage, hugging my backpack to me for support. Closing my eyes, and trying to quell the panic that had been rising in me since yesterday, I took in even breaths. I tried to convince myself that this "testing", whatever it was, would be fine. I would make it out of this okay, no big deal. Just another trial to get through before I could go home. Easy peasy.

Okay, not even I believed myself with that one.

I waited half an hour, I think, before somebody came in. Half an hour in which I stayed curled up in the corner, missing normal, human interaction. I think my recent experiences had sent me into shock; I had never had this problem while staying with Gina, probably because I could delude myself into thinking it was normal. This was anything but. It was surreal, and terrifying, and unlike anything I had ever gone through. The hopelessness and unknown was eating me to my core, and I didn't know what to do.

At some point I heard the door open, and all of the bright florescent lights kicked on at the same time. My eyes hurting from the sudden intake I pulled the blanket over my head to let my eyes adjust. When I finally looked up Sebastian was peering into the cage with that scientific interest look that was always on his face. "Interesting," he said, simply staring at me.

I blinked at him, trying to both get my bearings and wondering what could possibly be going on in his head. He acted as if my every move meant something of vital importance to him. Sometimes I just felt more comfortable in the corner, okay? Deal with it.

Sebastian left my view and busied himself with something on the table. I stayed huddled in my corner, not wanting to face reality until I absolutely had to. Not too long after I heard the door open again, and Alicia's voice rang out. "Good morning, Sebastian! she sang cheerily.

"Morning," he replied curtly. "I'm all set up here, would you mind getting it so we can begin?"

"Sure," she replied, her tone brought down a bit by his lack of enthusiasm. She came over to my cage and opened the door. "Come on," she said, gesturing for me to come out with a smile. I took off the blanket but didn't move towards her. Nothing against her personally, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to today.

Alicia frowned, looking at me with sympathetic eyes. "It's okay," she cooed, reaching in to grab me. I flinched away from her hand, a shard of my earlier panic coming back. She quickly withdrew her hand, probably realizing I was in a rather fragile mental state. "Don't be afraid," she whispered softly, smiling at me with that disarming charm of hers. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise." I looked at her skeptically, doubting that her definition of 'bad' was the same as mine. Seeing my look she smiled, and added, "Cross my heart."

"Alicia," Sebastian said with a sigh, "you do realize it can't understand you?"

Alicia turned back and winked at me. "Of course it can." I smiled at her, and decided if I was to trust anybody here, it would be her. Reluctantly I got up and walked to her waiting hands, hoping desperately that she would keep her promise. She picked me up and carried me over to the table.

"Alright, strap it in," said Sebastian, gesturing to the contraption set up on the table. I looked at it with horror, thinking that it reminded me of some medieval torture rack. It was all constraints and buckles, surrounded by very imposing metal tools. This definitely counted as bad.

I clung to Alicia's fingers as if I would never let go, and she looked from me to Sebastian with concern. "Are you sure the restraints are really necessary?" she asked him carefully. "It seems really scared."

Sebastian sighed, as if irritated by her ignorance. "The straps are so it can't run away. They're a mandatory precaution."

"It won't run away," Alicia said, looking down at me. "Will you?" Despite wanting to run for my life, I shook my head vigorously. Anything to make this process more bearable.

Upon seeing my response Sebastian's eyes widened with interest. "Hmm," he said, actually seeming excited for once. "That's incredible, it can understand you. It appears it can decipher human speech."

Maybe that's because I _was_ human.

Sebastian conceded, "Okay, I suppose I can overlook protocol if it promises to cooperate with us."

Alicia glanced at me and I nodded. "It promises," she assured Sebastian, smiling as always. Sebastian took away the torture device as Alicia set me down on the table. Still feeling nervous, I laid myself prone and tried to ready myself for whatever Sebastian had planned. With a small metal tool he began probing me, picking up my limbs one by one and examining them. When I turned my head I saw him scribbling notes furiously into a journal. Alicia also seemed to be writing something, but I could only hear her.

It felt very strange to be moved around without resisting. In addition to the lack of privacy, it made me feel that my body wasn't entirely my own. For once, I really did feel like I belonged to someone, instead of simply being in their presence. It was a disconcerting feeling, one I didn't particularly enjoy.

By now Sebastian was measuring me. "Five and three-quarter inches," he muttered to himself, scribbling it in his notebook. Interesting, my height here seemed to be directly correlated to my height back home. Instead of being 5'8" (or five and three-quarter feet), I was a little under six inches.

"Open your mouth," he instructed, and with trepidation I did so. To my relief he simply observed my teeth with a rather large magnifying glass. Sebastian sighed and turned to Alicia. "I don't understand," he complained to her. "This creature should not exist. It simply cannot support itself. By its teeth it is obviously an omnivore, but it has no claws or natural defenses with which it could catch meat. Even a mouse would be a tough battle for it. If I didn't know there weren't such things, I would simply label it a freak of nature."

Alicia looked over at me. "Well, it wears clothes. Perhaps it is used to living within human houses? The wild may not be its natural habitat."

"I suppose that is a viable theory," said Sebastian, turning to take a look at me once more. "Ask it to take off its clothes, I want to see if it has any fur." It seemed that Sebastian would rather talk to me through Alicia. I thought it was strange, but then again, my entire life had become strange.

She gave me a pointed look, and with a sigh I stood up and started stripping on the table. When I had gotten down to my boxers I stopped and looked back up at them. Sebastian was looking over every inch of me (not that there were many to look over), and I assumed Alicia was still writing as I heard the sound of pencil on paper.

"Lack of breasts indicate that it is a male," he said, "Unless it is a very young female." I flushed at the blatant jab to my manhood. My dignity was being tried enough as it was without my gender being in question. "How old are you?" he asked me. I flashed him a ten and then a seven with my hands. I didn't mind communicating with them, but I wasn't yet ready to expose myself by talking. "Seventeen years," Sebastian told Alicia, obviously understanding my hand signals. "So, highly unlikely that it is a female." I nodded emphatically.

Suddenly a shiver went up my spine; the chill from the metal table had been permeating up through my feet. "Aww, he's cold," Alicia said, looking at me with concern. "Can he put his clothes back on?" she asked Sebastian.

"Sure, why not," he said, writing more in his journal. I pulled on my jeans gratefully, feeling quite a bit of my earlier terror slip away. Knowing that Alicia was looking out for me had eased a load off my mind. Not that I was necessarily enjoying myself here, but any improvement was a good thing. At this point, I was willing to take what I could get.

"Moving on," said Sebastian, grabbing something from the shelves on the wall. He set it on the table, and I approached it curiously. It looked like a giant (okay, not giant to them, giant to _me_) hamster wheel hooked up to a computer.

Sebastian picked me up without warning and tipped me into the wheel, closing and fastening the side panel behind me. The wheel itself was porous, but plastic walls on either side kept me from getting out. "Today we want to finish preliminary physical tests," Sebastian told Alicia, as I listened with interest. "The wheel's speed can be controlled and monitored through the attached device. At the end we'll measure its heart rate." A running exercise? I may actually be good at this one.

He started the wheel, slowly at first, then building up in speed. It was kind of strange to run in, but I eventually got the hang of it: like some strange mix of a treadmill and those tubes at the end of carnival funhouses. Eventually I was running as fast as I could, breathing hard and trying not to trip and face plant into the wheel.

After about fifteen minutes of running hard I was beginning to get really tired. Unfortunately, Sebastian showed no signs of wanting to stop the wheel. Five minutes past that, I thought I was about to die. I was starting to stumble, breaking my rhythm, as I wiped sweat off of my forehead. Finally I lost my balance completely, skidding on the wheel as it turned underneath me. Sebastian announced something and shut it off, but not before the knees of my pants were completely shredded.

Sebastian reached in and took me out as I tried desperately to catch my breath. Before I could he put some sort of thick, heavy collar on me. I started gasping and clawing at it, but Alicia calmed me down. "Take deep breaths," she instructed. "That's just to measure your heart rate, it will be off in no time." Just as she said, within minutes Sebastian took off the collar and set me down on the table once more.

I flopped down onto my back, breathing heavily and hoping that whatever test they had next was easy. Totally biffing it inside a closed wheel going at top speed was not my idea of fun. "Let's take a break for lunch," Sebastian suggested. I stuck a thumbs-up into the air, my eyes still closed and my chest heaving. Rest, and food, sounded like a wonderful idea.

This time they had brought food specifically for me to try: an assortment of fruits and vegetables, cooked meats, bread, and cheese. I tried a little bit of everything, and that was enough; after all, compared to them I ate hardly anything. Once full I sat back, rubbing feeling back into my knees and wondering what was up next.

In order to eat Alicia had set her pad of paper down on the table, and I looked at it out of curiosity. To my surprise she hadn't written a single note, but instead had drawn incredibly lifelike pictures of me. They were so detailed it was like looking into a mirror. Alicia saw me looking at them and asked, "Do you like them?" I nodded, turning the pages with both hands so that I could see all of the drawings. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Your knees!"

I looked down and noticed that my knees were scratched up and bleeding; the fall on the wheel hadn't only torn up my pants. "I'll go get some antibiotic cream," Alicia said, darting out of the room. She quickly returned with a tube of clear, sticky gel, which she put on her finger and gently rubbed into my knees.

It was decided that, given my new condition, there would be no more testing today. The rest of the day Sebastian was busy working in some other part of the building, while I spent time watching Alicia draw. She gave me the pencil to let me try, but it was so unwieldy that the results are hardly worth mentioning. Most of the time I was perfectly happy to sit back and watch her do it.

That night was the same as the one before, except I felt a bit more comfortable. I slept easier, feeling more confident about my situation than I had. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't horrible either; and I wasn't about to try and ask for more.


	10. Chapter 10

That night I dreamed for the first time in a long while. It was a fairly vivid dream, albeit strange. I was standing on a white floor in a white hallway, neither of which was made of any material I could recognize. A girl was skipping down the hall towards me; she looked young, around eight years old, with long white hair. I had never seen her before in my life.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully once she arrived, looking up at me with a grin. "How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," I replied, looking down at her in confusion. "Do I know you?"

The little girl stuck out her hand and I ended up shaking it. "Moonlight," she announced.

"Sorry?"

"Moonlight. That's my name."

"Oh." I realized I was still shaking her hand and let go. "I'm Jason. Am I dreaming?"

She giggled, and said, "Kind of. It's complicated. Your last name is Swift, right?"

What a strange question, but the name did sound familiar… "No, but that was my mother's maiden name," I responded.

She nodded, as if that made total sense in her mind. "Listen, I have things to do, but I just wanted to check in on you. You're doing just fine in the lab, right?"

How did she- never mind, I was dreaming, dumb question. "Yeah, I guess. Alicia is sort of nice."

Moonlight smiled. "Good! But if things start getting worse, let me know."

"And what would you do?" I asked her skeptically, beginning to lose some of my grogginess.

She winked at me. "I have tricks of my own," Moonlight said cryptically. "Now go on and get back to sleep." My surroundings began to blur, disappearing into darkness. But before I left completely, she gave me one last thing to puzzle over. "You may want to invest in a copy of Gulliver's Travels. I think you'll find it…enlightening."

I woke up in the morning thinking about her. Having seen another person my size, even if it was in a dream, had felt good. Still, I couldn't shake the fact that it had felt so…real. _Just a dream_ I told myself. I shook my head and stood up in the dark, deciding that a change of clothes was necessary for the coming day.

By the time Sebastian came in and turned on the lights I was sitting by the front of the cage, in a fresh set of clothes and feeling ready for whatever was to come. Like the day before, by the time Alicia arrived Sebastian had something already set up on the table. "Tell it to close its eyes," Sebastian told her, and as she picked me up and took me out I did so.

Alicia set me down on the table and I scrambled off of her hand, my eyes still shut tight. "Alright, you can open them now!" she said, sounding excited. I opened my eyes and saw what looked like a wall of cardboard with a doorway-like opening in it. Sebastian began explaining it to Alicia as I listened with interest.

"With the basic physical tests out of the way, and it not following the patterns of any known species, intelligence tests seem to be in order," Sebastian explained. "The way it reacts to a maze should do the trick." Oh, a maze? I wasn't particularly good at mazes… but surely I could figure out something.

Alicia nudged me towards the opening with a gently curved finger. "Go on," she said with a smile, and I noticed that both she and Sebastian were looking at me expectantly.

I walked into the maze and was immediately hit with a choice: right or left? I walked up to the wall and put my hand on it. It was flimsy cardboard held by Elmer's glue, and it wobbled under my touch. With a grin I shoved it, and it toppled over with a thud. Not bothering to look back I stepped over it and continued forward, pushing down a wall whenever I encountered one. Eventually I made it to the exit and walked out.

I looked back up at Alicia and Sebastian, both of whom looked absolutely dumbfounded. Sebastian had even dropped his pen on the table out of shock. "Incredible!" he exclaimed, picking up his pen again and clearing his throat. "I have never seen any sort of deliberate lateral thinking like that before. Many people wouldn't do the same!" He looked at Alicia with an excitement in his eyes I had never seen before. "Let's keep going!"

Alicia giggled, looking at him with admiration. She scooped me up and took me to a side table, chattering about how amazing I was and how much fun we were going to have. She stayed there with me for a good fifteen minutes, until Sebastian was done setting up the next maze.

"There!" he said proudly, poised to take notes once more. "Try that one on for size." Ignoring the comment about size, I walked in the opening. As before I was faced with a wall, but this time there were supports on the base so I couldn't push them over. After a moment of thought, I looked up. The walls were only slightly taller than me, which gave me an idea. Reaching up my arms I grabbed hold of the top edge of the wall and pulled myself up with quite a bit of effort. Sitting on top of the cardboard I looked out over the maze. The end was easily spotted, and after a few moments of observation I had memorized how to get to the end of the maze.

I hopped down and continued, taking each turn as I had seen it. Rights, left, left, another right… within seconds I was walking out of the exit. I turned around and looked at them, feeling rather smart all of a sudden.

That feeling was helped along by their reactions. Immediately they started babbling to each other about the possibilities, talking as if they were on the edge of a universal breakthrough. "It's a scientific first!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"We have to keep going," Alicia blurted, picking me up and carting me to the side table so that they could construct another challenge. I laid on my back and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what my biology teacher would have thought of all this. Or perhaps the philosophy/psychology teacher was a better match…

After what seemed like mere moments I was faced with another one, this time with a glass ceiling. I walked in and took a moment to think. There was no way I could predict the maze this time… or was there? I remembered going to a haunted house once, while I was still in school. The kid going with me had told me that there was a trick to most mazes: just keep turning left, or pick a wall and stay with it until the end. He was one of the guys that had made the maze, so I figured he knew what he was talking about.

Deciding that it was worth a try, I turned left. Whenever I reached a fork or had to make a choice, I took the left hand path. Soon enough, and without ever hitting any dead ends, I had made it to the exit. _Thank you, guy whose name I have forgotten_ I thought to myself, wondering what the two scientists would make of that.

"I don't understand," Alicia said in confusion, looking to Sebastian for help. "How did he know what to do?"

The man was staring intently at me, with an unreadable expression on his face. "It's an old carnival trick," he muttered.

"What?" Alicia asked.

"The trick to most mazes, especially ones made to be walked through, is to keep to the left whenever you can. He knew the trick, that's why he always turned left," Sebastian explained.

"Wow," Alicia breathed, looking at me with newfound admiration. "I didn't even know that. That's so cool!"

The next challenges progressed in a similar manner. They made sure turning left hit dead ends, but the walls were still cardboard so I gouged markings in it to tell where I was going. They made the walls solid, so I just walked my way through it like a normal maze, remembering which ways led to dead ends. I did all of this leisurely, not particularly caring whether I completed it quickly or not. After all, I wasn't trying to impress anyone.

"This is fantastic," Sebastian declared at the end of the day. He turned to Alicia with an unusual light in his eyes. "You know, I think Experiment 12 may actually succeed with this one."

Her eyes widened as I looked from one to the other with confusion. "You really think so?"

Sebastian nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. We will start tomorrow."

Soon enough the next day had arrived, and I found out what the oh-so-important "Experiment 12" was. They were going to try and teach me how to read.

Yes. Read.

As in the skill I learned in first grade. How absolutely exciting for me.

Alicia brought over some flash cards and sat down facing me. "We're going to learn something," she told me with a smile. Pulling out the first flashcard she began, "A is the first letter of the alphabet. It makes many different sounds: 'ah' like in apple, or 'ay' in amazing. Can you say A for me?" I inwardly groaned and tried to lay back on the table, but she pushed me back up to a seated position with her finger. "No no no," she chastised me, in that sickly sweet voice adults always use on children. "We have to pay attention to this!"

She continued, going through each letter of the alphabet like that and never letting my attention wander. At 'C' I was bored. At 'H' I was about to burst from frustration. And at 'M', I had finally had enough. "I know how to read!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, standing up and glaring at her. "You don't need to treat me like I'm five years old, I know the damn alphabet as well as you do!" I yelled in frustration and paced as Alicia looked at me with shock. "Would you just stop with the tests, I'm not an idiot, okay?"

"So it's true," Sebastian muttered from behind me. "I heard rumors about it, and seen the video, but I always thought it was a hoax."

"He can talk," Alicia blurted, finding her voice once again. "Like, actually speak! In a human language!" I closed my eyes and put a hand over my mouth, realizing what I had just done. Man, had I opened up a world of trouble with that one. Why couldn't I just keep my big mouth shut?

When I cracked open an eye I saw Alicia staring at me with enthusiasm. "Why didn't you talk to us before?" she asked.

"Because I didn't think it was a good idea…" I replied hesitantly, looking back and forth between her and Sebastian. "No offense, but I'm not exactly a huge fan of experiments."

"What do you mean?" asked Alicia, sounding confused. I sighed, wondering how I was going to explain this to her.

"Look at it from my perspective," I said. "Would you like to be put through all of these tests?" The light of understanding came into her eyes and I nodded. "I don't want to be a lab rat, thank you very much."

"Then it's too bad that you are one," Sebastian replied, and I scowled up at him. "Tell me, where do you come from? How do you survive?"

"Where I'm from, everything's my size," I explained, thinking about home. "I have a job, just like you."

"But where could you possibly work?" Alicia asked, smiling at me as if I was spouting fantasies.

"I _told_ you, I'm a perfectly normal size back at home. Everything is scaled to my height, the people, the buildings, everything. I work in a factory, if you wish to know." To my frustration Alicia and Sebastian shared a smile, not believing a word I just said. It's hard to convince someone who's at least 50 feet taller than you are, and evidently my attempts were not going anywhere.

"They must have taught him well, those people he was staying with before," Sebastian said, making notes once more. Alicia smiled and nodded while I fumed. What was the point in answering their questions if they weren't going to believe anything I told them?

However, they stopped with the testing for the moment, and for that I was grateful. But that was replaced with an impossible amount of questions: did I know any other languages? How did I learn to speak? Where had I been and what had I done before they found me?

"No, I don't know any other languages, I failed my Spanish classes in school."

"I learned to speak like you did, when I was like, two or something. I don't know, however kids learn to talk."

I told them my story from beginning to end, from the time I fell into the light up until they brought me to the lab. Sebastian just kept giving me the same pleasing look, as if he was amused by such a childish story. Alicia, on the other hand, began listening with true interest as I divulged my tale.

I was almost finished when Sebastian got up to leave. "Where are you going?" Alicia asked, quickly switching her gaze from me to him.

"A meeting," he replied curtly, taking off his lab coat and hanging it on the hook. "The boss wants a progress report from all the supervisors."

"Oh…okay," said Alicia, smiling softly at him. "Don't stay too long."

"I'll try," he replied, not returning any of her emotion. "Watch him while I'm gone." He left, the door sealing behind him with a familiar hiss.

Alicia stared after him for a while, and I looked up at her with a teasing smile. "You like him, don't you?" I asked.

"Huh?" she blurted, looking down at me as her cheeks flushed pink. "What did you say?"

"You totally like him," I repeated, my grin widening.

Alicia groaned, thumping her head on the table and letting her hair come down around it. "How did you know?" she asked, her voice muffled through the curtain of hair.

"It's kind of obvious." Well, maybe not to Sebastian, but to anyone else it was plain as day.

Alicia sighed, turning to face me and resting her head on her hand. "I don't think he feels anything at all for me though. He just treats me like a…work colleague! What should I do?"

She was asking me? I had never had a girlfriend in my life. I tried to think back to when Cali had a boyfriend, and what she did to get his attention. Maybe that would help with the advice-giving. "Um, maybe you should talk to him about other things. You know, besides work. Or spend time with him outside of the lab. It couldn't hurt, right?"

Her eyes lit up. "You're right! That way he won't just see me as the girl he works with." She sat up happily and kissed me on the top of my head. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," I said, rubbing my head and giving her a hesitant smile. I started thinking, and looked up at her with an idea. "There is something I wanted to ask you, though. Is there a way you could get me a copy of Gulliver's Travels to read?"

She looked at me with confusion. "Gulliver's Travels? Like the satire?"

I shrugged, having never heard of the book before. But the girl last night had mentioned it, and I was curious enough to look into it. "Yeah, I guess." I smiled up at her hopefully, wishing she would just stop asking questions. It wasn't like I really knew what I was doing, or why I was doing it. Just that it felt right.

The woman returned my smile, and said, "I guess I could lend my copy to you for a while." I thanked her and put it out of my mind, wondering why on earth that dream had meant so much to me.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day Alicia showed up in the morning, before Sebastian surprisingly. As the lights turned on she came over and unlatched the front of my cage, looking at me with a brilliant smile. "I did like you said!" she exclaimed, setting me down on the table and going to put on her lab coat. "Yesterday I talked to him after work, and we ended up getting dinner together!"

"Good for you," I told her, returning her smile. As I expected, that was enough reply for her to keep talking about it.

"It was really nice! We talked about interests besides work, and I found out that he had a niece. Who knew? Anyways, he actually smiled at me, I think he may like me after all! At least as a friend. And I can live with that. At least, for now." She kept chattering as she dug in her purse, but I couldn't hear any of it since she was practically under the table. When she resurfaced she had a thick tome in her hand, and she set it on the table next to me with a large thump.

"I brought you the book," she explained, and I walked around it with interest. "I can see why you would like it, I mean when I think about it you're practically in the same situation as Gulliver was in the second story… do you think it could tell your future? That would be crazy, wouldn't it? Anyways I hope you like it, I had to dig it out of my closet and-"

I let her continue babbling as I examined the book, knowing that eventually she would talk herself out. Standing on my toes I read the cover. Yep, it was titled 'Gulliver's Travels' all right, just like the strange dream girl had said. I paused when I reached the author's name: Jonathan Swift. The same surname as my mother's. What a really weird coincidence. Then again, this entire idea was pretty strange; I mean, I asked for this book because a girl from my dreams told me to. Call me crazy, but it probably wasn't coincidence.

Thinking that it was a really long book to read, and remembering what Alicia had mentioned, I flipped to the second story and decided to read that one first. The cover was heavy, but with a bit of exertion I managed to open it, and after that I grabbed pages by the handful and pulled them to the side until I had reached the correct spot. Seeing that I was going to read, Alicia made some remark about letting her know if I needed anything and started texting people on her phone.

Usually I'm not that big into reading; no time for it, it's not really practical, and I never was very good at it. But this story… this story I read all day. At first I was a bit discouraged; it seemed to be just some guy going sailing, very boring stuff. However, it got interesting quickly. A normal man stuck in a world of giants- now that I could relate to! It was actually kind of creepy how well it fit: being found by a man cutting outside, his only friend being a young girl, getting taken away and scrutinized by scientists and philosophers. All of it matched, albeit seeming really old.

Some parts made me wince, hoping that they would never happen to me. Like the part with the monkey made me want to throw up. But I totally understood where he was coming from, especially when he talked about his frustrations. Being exhausted from having people look at him everyday, feeling like nobody really respected him as a person, that the only worth he had was intrinsic; I most definitely had felt all those things in the course of my time here. And it was nice to know that I wasn't alone: even if it happened hundreds of years ago, somebody else had been in my situation. That made me feel like a little less of a freak.

It took me a couple of days to finish all of it. When Sebastian returned from his break he was a bit confused about why I was reading, but since it didn't interfere with any of his schedules he didn't seem to mind. So I spent a relaxing few days in the lab, reading the enormous book as Alicia tried increasingly to win Sebastian's affections.

When the story started becoming more about governments I got bored, but forced myself to read to the end. I wanted to know how he got back home, because God knows I had no idea how. Besides, it had been really similar thus far. Who knows, maybe Alicia was right and it could give me a glimpse into my future.

When I reached the end it was the evening of the third day, and Alicia was just about ready to leave. Finally, I read the last words.

And decided that Gulliver had really gone crazy.

What if that happened to me? I didn't want to get carried off by a giant bird and have everybody back home think I was a lunatic. That's a horrible ending. Besides, I don't think I could get home by crossing an ocean… there had to be another way. Then again, if the choice was between staying here and losing my sanity, I may just want to stay. Just maybe.

"Here," I said to Alicia, closing the book with some difficulty. "I just finished the second story, and that's all I really wanted."

She smiled at me and tucked the book away in her purse. "Glad I could aid you. Did you like it?"

I shrugged. "It was good enough. I didn't really care for the ending." She picked me up and put me back into my cage, but before she left I had to ask her a question. "Hey Alicia?"

"Yes?"

"You guys don't happen to keep monkeys in this lab, do you?" Probably a strange question, but I had to ask it anyways.

Her face lit up. "Actually, yes, we do! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," I muttered. Great, now I could add 'being-breastfed-by-a-monkey' to my list of worries. Maybe reading that wasn't such a great idea after all…

Alicia left, the lights turning off after her. By now I had organized the blankets they gave me into a somewhat-organized bed, and I was able to find it in the dark with ease. I lay down and pulled the blanket up to my chin, hoping desperately that I wouldn't have nightmares about monkeys. Of all the things Swift could have written…

I didn't dream at all, however, and the next days progressed as normally as they could have. Sebastian had me take some IQ tests, which I expect came back sub-par, and other than that I spent most of my time just talking with the two of them. Alicia liked to ask me about things back in my own world, despite the fact that Sebastian thought I was making it all up. I told her about my family, my job, Cali, etc. Where I lived and what it was like. I spent whole hours describing things to her, despite the fact that things in this world seemed to work exactly the same.

I was in a perpetual state of being observed; even when I was saying or doing the most meaningless things, it was all logged into Sebastian's notes. Everything from my favorite color to my birthday was taken into account, for what purpose I had no idea. Still, as far as physical tests went, they were few and far between.

Once they filled up a sink for me, so that they could assess my swimming ability. Another time they gave me some tools and material and asked me to make things with my hands. This I was fairly good at, being in the habit of doing just that in my factory job. Every day there was something new to do, and yet I found myself listless and impatient. Even when Alicia was talking to me I felt insignificant, just something to pass the time with. I was alive, but I wasn't really living, and I was really starting to feel the difference.

On the other hand, Alicia and Sebastian seemed to be living more. Almost every morning they would come in together, sharing a smile, and later I would hear from Alicia about what they did the previous evening. Once I caught them holding hands as they walked through the door. It was obvious they were developing a strong emotional relationship, and rapidly. But the more attention they paid to each other, the less thought they gave to me, which became rather inconvenient.

The problem with my condition was that none of them took me seriously in any way. I was inconsequential, of as much importance as the equipment they used. And so, they didn't think anything of doing more… personal things around me.

One evening I was sitting on the lab table alone. Both Sebastian and Alicia had left to go take care of something, and I was just thinking to myself. Suddenly, the door opened and they stumbled in, attached to one another by a passionate embrace. Shutting off the lights with the manual switch on the wall, Sebastian grabbed Alicia's neck and they started making out (rather seriously, I might add). They moved to the table and he laid her down on it, almost crushing me in the process.

"Hey!" I protested, scrambling out of the way. "Get a room you guys!"

They paid me no heed, still kissing madly. Alicia started ripping off Sebastian's jacket as he started taking off her shirt. I knew where this was going, and I didn't want to be right here for it. Sebastian spared me a glance, as if wondering whether or not he minded that I was seeing this. "It's watching us," he told Alicia, between breaths as they continued doing whatever they were doing.

"Then take care of it," she whispered, her eyes closed in bliss.

He smiled at her and kissed her again. "With pleasure," he replied and, taking an empty coffee cup from the table, flipped it over and covered me with it.

"Wait!" I yelled, but the sound just rebounded off the ceramic walls and came right back to me. I tried in vain to lift the edge, but to no avail. "Come on, let me out!" I pounded the edges of the cup only to succeed in bruising myself. Eventually I resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck here until they decided to let me out; and, having seen enough to know what they were planning, that probably wouldn't happen for quite a long time.

Despite the fact that I could still hear almost everything from inside the coffee cup, I managed to doze off at some point in the night. When I woke up I was curled up at the bottom of the cup; they must have flipped it right side up again sometime.

I heard Alicia swearing, and soon the cup was tipped over so that I fell out of it. "We're so late!" she exclaimed, talking not to me but to Sebastian. "The meeting with the boss starts in five minutes!"

"Well, get the collar on it and we can go," he replied, sounding equally rushed. Before I had time to react, or even to fully wake up, Alicia's fingers had swooped down and forced a thick metal collar around my neck. Picking me up she thrust me into the same cage they had brought me in, and I swung violently from her side as they ran out the door.

Tumbling from front to back in the small container, I tried desperately to get the collar off. No matter how hard I pulled or how many directions I pulled it from, it refused to budge. The entire exterior was smooth, and I could hardly grab it much less remove it. Feeling panicky and rather disoriented I crawled into a corner, trying to think through these events and get my mind straight; a rather difficult task given the current turmoil.

Suddenly we stopped, and by peering out the front of the cage I could see that in front of us was an unopened door. Alicia and Sebastian were fidgeting with each other, and I could hear things like, "Your hair is messy, let me fix it," or "Let me straighten your collar." Eventually they deemed themselves presentable, and Sebastian rapped smartly on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from behind it, and when the door opened they walked inside. Alicia set my cage down on a desk, behind which sat a rather overweight man in a very expensive-looking suit. That was about all I could see, as the roof of the cage prevented me from gazing upwards any further. "Ah, so this is the little thing I have heard so much about," the same voice said, and soon a pair of pudgy hands were opening up the front of my cage.

Standing up I slowly walked out, and looking up saw that the man wearing the suit was looking at me with an interested little smile. Behind me Sebastian coughed, and asked, "Would you like our report now, sir?"

The man, who was obviously their boss, began petting me on the head idly. "Well, you see," he said slowly, sounding casual, "there has been a change of plans."


	12. Chapter 12

There was a tense pause as everyone in the room wondered what he could possibly mean by a change of plans. At some point Alicia spoke up and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but what sort of change?"

The man smiled, but in the sort of way someone does when they're about to tell you something awful. He was still absent-mindedly petting me on the head, which I found rather annoying; but since he had so much power, and so much say in my future, I didn't dare contradict him. "You two have broken the rules," he told the two scientists softly.

They both paled, their shoulders rising of their own accord as they became more distressed. "In what way, sir?" Sebastian queried, but it seemed he already knew the answer to that question.

"Having a relationship with another worker here is forbidden," the man replied, certifying both of their fears. "As such, Ms. Wayne here will be transferred to another department; in the West."

I stole a look at Alicia, who seemed devastated. "Please, sir-!" she tried to protest, but he cut her off.

"No complaints now, it was you who broke the rules," he chastised her. "Please, get your things together." She nodded, broken, and left with Sebastian staring desperately after her. "Clark will be your new supervisor," the boss told Sebastian, and a second man came in from a side door. He looked even colder and more imposing than Sebastian did, something I didn't find particularly comforting.

Clark came over to the desk and shoved me back into the cage, closing the front and picking it up. "Come," he ordered Sebastian, already halfway out the door. "We have work to do."

We returned to the lab I was familiar with, but instead of letting me out onto the table Clark put me back into the wall cage where I slept. "Um, shouldn't we go ahead and take the collar off of it?" Sebastian asked, sounding nervous in front of this new coworker. "I mean, we only put it on when we take animals out of the lab…"

Clark wheeled on him and replied, "I wouldn't expect someone like you to be familiar with the protocol of this occupation. From now on, we do what I say, and that means going by the book. Understood?" Sebastian quickly nodded and Clark gave him a disdainful look. "Good. Now, where do you keep the logs?"

As Sebastian went through all of their research with the new guy, I sat back in my cage and tried to think, pulling at the collar in irritation. This new turn of events didn't seem to bode well for me, and the metal around my neck was already starting to chafe. Things had rapidly gone downhill, and I was starting to feel homesick even for our lousy trailer. What I wouldn't give now to get back to my old life.

Suddenly a thought struck me; the strange girl from my dream a few weeks ago. She said that if things started getting worse, she could help... _I must be going crazy to even consider this_ I thought, and let go of the idea that a figment of imagination could get me out of this. No, I was on my own; just as I had always been.

That night I slept fitfully, wondering what the future had in store. Even though all Clark had done that day was go through paperwork, I already had the idea that he didn't like me. He criticized Sebastian on letting me walk and talk freely, even about taking into account my food preferences. Overall, he seemed to think that I had been spoiled, and that was something he should change. My concern kept me up almost all night, and by the time morning came I wasn't feeling spectacular.

Sebastian came in first, but didn't say a word to me. He just sat down on the table and put his head in his hands, looking as beat down as I had ever seen him. He stayed that way until the door opened, when he stood up smartly to greet Clark. The man in question set down an enormous folder of research on the table; everything Sebastian had written down about me.

"After going through all this research, I have reached a decision," he announced curtly.

Sebastian looked at him expectantly, nervously twisting his fingers around and around. "And?" he asked.

"We have learned all there is to learn about it, as long as it's alive. In order to complete this research, a proper dissection is necessary."

"Wait, what?" I yelled, running to the front of the cage. "Did I just hear that right?" Clark ignored me, and Sebastian ignored my gaze. I started to panic, I mean really panic. Being faced with death will do that to a guy. "Sebastian, please!" I pleaded. "You can't let him…kill me." I struggled to get out the words.

Sebastian gave me a sad, defeated look, but refrained from saying anything. It was like he didn't even care about anything anymore. "The operation is set for Friday," Clark continued, ignoring me as he always did. "Until then we will keep it healthy, but cease any further testing."

Friday. In three days I would be dead, cut up in pieces on a cold metal sheet. Most definitely not how I imagined my life ending. It just seemed so cruel, so macabre, so…final. Maybe Gulliver had it better after all, going crazy. At least he was back where he belonged, alive, with people who cared about him. And isn't that what really matters, in the end?

Staring death in the face and waiting for him to take his sweet time getting there had to be one of the hardest things I have ever endured. The entire day I did nothing but sit in my corner, rubbing my hands over the charm Gina had given me and thinking about what I had left behind. It was rather sad to think that nobody would mourn my death; Gina thought me alive and well, and nobody else in this world or my own would be bothered if I did die. Except, perhaps, for Cali. I hadn't thought about her, safe in my knowledge that she was still living her own life, but she, possibly, was worried about me. She may be the only one who was.

The hours slipped by, slowly and tortuously, but like sand running through your fingers. Each amount of time that past brought me closer to my death, and yet I couldn't do anything about it but sit and ruminate. At some point Sebastian and Clark left, and the lights shut off. I remained there, staring into space, until I remembered my earlier idea. It was highly unlikely, but anything I could try had to be done.

So I crawled into the blankets and forced myself to sleep, keeping the dream girl in my mind and hoping desperately that she could help me.

I started dreaming almost immediately, or so it felt. To my relief I was back in the white hallway where I had first seen the girl. Crazy as it was, it seemed my idea was working. As soon as I appeared fully, I saw her turn the corner into the hallway. "Moonlight!" I cried, hoping that I got her name right and running down to meet her.

"Jason?" she asked in surprise, turning to look at me as I almost ran her over. "What-?"

"You have to help me," I begged her, falling to my knees so I could look her in the eye. "Please, I don't know what you can do, but you have to do it."

The young girl looked at me with her dark purple eyes, confusion crossing her face. "I don't understand, you're going to have to slow down. What's going on?"

I swallowed nervously, feeling the tension of my day seep into the dreams of my night. "Look, I don't even know if you're real or not, but…" I looked at her with a pleading gaze. "If you don't get me out of there within two days, I'm going to die. They're going to kill me and dissect me."

Moonlight covered her mouth with both hands, looking shocked and terrified. "That's horrible!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know… I mean I… It's a good thing you thought of me." She looked flustered, and as if she were trying to think quickly.

"So?" I asked expectantly, standing up again with shaky legs. "Can you help or not?"

"I can," the little girl said with certainty, looking up at me with determination. "When you wake up pack whatever you have, I'll be by to get you tomorrow."

Her confidence helped pull me back from the brink of insanity, but the skeptical side of me still clamored for attention. "How do I know you'll be there?" I asked her. "You're just in my dreams, and even if you were real you're only what, eight? I don't know, it seems too far-fetched."

Moonlight gave me a smile. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to trust me on this one," she replied. "Now, get some sleep. And don't worry- no traveler has ever died on my watch…"

I woke up in the morning feeling rested, and harboring a strange feeling of confidence from the conversation last night. Though it seemed impossible that someone I only knew from my dreams could actually save my life, I was willing to bet everything on it. After all, I was here in this world, wasn't I? Something that would have seemed impossible only a few months ago. Perhaps whatever force brought me here was going to take me back.

Remembering Moonlight's advice I folded all of my clothing and put them back in my backpack, along with Gina's charm. I then slung the bag over my shoulder, wincing as it jostled the collar. Then I sat down to wait, hoping that I wasn't going insane and that a young girl named Moonlight was actually coming to save me. Either I was sane and alive, or crazy and dead; and I know which person I would rather be.

It got later and later in the day, but still nobody showed up. I didn't see even a glimpse of Sebastian or Clark the entire time and I was beginning to wonder what was going on. I felt like I was in limbo; stuck between life and death, sleep and waking. Not a pleasant feeling, but not a terrible one either. Just…stagnant.

"Jason?" a voice asked suddenly from beside me. I started and turned around, finding Moonlight standing at the side of my cage with an expectant expression.

"You're actually here," I said, almost not believing it. She seemed to be glowing slightly in the dark, which I found strange, but disregarded in the face of more important things. "Are you going to take me home?"

She nodded, and held out her hand. "Come with me," she said with a disarming smile. "I'll take you home." with a smile of relief I took her hand, and everything faded away.

When I awoke, I felt a real bed underneath me. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was lying on a bed in a hotel room; a normal, regularly sized hotel room. Standing up I pulled back the curtain, and saw a sprawling city laid out in front of me: Chicago. I was home.

I sat down on the bed again, a whirlwind of emotions flying through me. I was back in my own world, my own size, my own life. I felt like crying, or maybe laughing. The horrible nightmare that had been my life was finally over. I looked around for my backpack, but couldn't find it.

"Oh no," I mumbled to myself, standing up and looking around. What if it really had just been a nightmare? I could be going seriously crazy…

"Good afternoon!" a cheerful young voice called, and the door to the hotel room opened. Moonlight skipped in, a grin on her face. "Chicago, right? I hope that's where you live, because that's where we are!"

"Moonlight," I greeted her with a smile. So, I wasn't going crazy after all. What a pleasant surprise. "You actually did it."

"Of course!" she exclaimed. I knelt down and embraced her in a hug.

"Thank you," I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. "For saving my life."

She giggled, but seemed pleased with the credit. "It's what I do!" Detaching herself from my arms she skipped over and opened the closet door. "I put your backpack in here, by the way. Would you like to get going?"

"Yes," I replied simply, picking up the backpack with a fluid motion. The collar on my neck had been removed, but the chafing was still there; I expected that, and my mental state, would take a while to heal. "Let's go home."

We made our way down to the hotel lobby and out onto the street. It was one I was familiar with, only a few blocks from the road my house was on. "This way," I told Moonlight, and we walked down the sidewalk towards my house. But it wasn't my house I ended up walking to; it was Cali's.

When we reached her apartment complex I took the elevator up to her floor, still soaking in the feeling of everything being sized to me. Then I finally arrived at her door, and rang the doorbell. "I hope she's home," I told Moonlight, only to turn and find she wasn't there. I suppose her job was done; I might have asked her some questions, but at this point I had ceased to care.

The door opened and a blond head peeked out, her eyes growing wide when she saw me standing there. "Jason!" she yelled, throwing open the door and tackling me in her embrace. "Oh, thank God you're okay," she whispered into my hair, her arms clenched around my neck. "I was so worried, you just disappeared one day!" She released me and thumped me on the chest, her expression a mixture of relief and anger. "What were you thinking just running away like that? Without a word to me, to anybody?"

I couldn't help but smile; there had been someone here caring for me all along. "It's a long story," I told her, "and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She huffed, and taking my hand pulled me into the apartment. "Well, I'll be the judge of that! You have a lot of explaining to do, mister…"

We sat on her couch together, and I told her the story from beginning to end. At first she didn't believe me, and tried to scold me for lying to her, but I begged her not to complain and to hear me out. When I finished a good couple of hours had passed; and yet Cali still didn't believe me.

"It's a very well made story," she said, looking up at me with concern. "But Jason, it's impossible. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine," I complained, frustrated with her lack of faith. "Look, I still have the charm that Gina gave me, that will be proof!" I rummaged in my bag until I found the paintbrush charm, handing it to Cali with care.

She looked at it with wide eyes, holding the enormous piece of metal with both hands. Caressing the hole at the top she said, "It's so big, how could it possibly go on a charm bracelet?"

"Easily, given their size," I replied. "C'mon, Cali, I have never lied to you. Why would I start now? I swear everything I've said actually happened. You have to believe me." If she didn't believe me, I don't know what I would do. Probably end up like Gulliver, crazy and spinning stories for the rest of his life.

Cali looked up at me, her pretty brown eyes filled with understanding. "I _do_ believe you," she said, hesitantly and then with more confidence, "I always have."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. And then I kissed her.

The End


End file.
